Black Butler: Switched
by BlackButlerFan13
Summary: NOT related to any previous fanfics. Ciel has grown tired of being the small, helpless child everyone sees him to be. Sebastian tries to understand the young earl's perspective of things. What will happen when one silent wish suddenly shows them both a newer perspective of things? And what will they learn about each other? Rated M just to be safe. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ciel listened with little interest as Sebastian read off his schedule for today. Dance lessons, a company meeting, history… nothing but dull matters he was forced to partake in. He hated dancing, especially since all of his teachers—especially Sebastian—were all too tall. Steps were too large, turns were too wide, and the movements always seemed to be different, even if it was supposed to be the same dance.

The meeting, as it always was, was dull and boring and personally humiliated him to the core. Being thirteen and the head of a toy company was always a joke the older company members would toss around, and although they were never said to his face, the insults were demeaning.

"Is that the head of the company, or is it his son?"

"Shouldn't he be playing with the toys instead?"

"Why leave a kid in charge? He's too young."

Too young. Young and helpless, that's exactly what everyone thought. And that's exactly what he was. Although he ran the Funtom Company, Sebastian was the one who did everything else for him. The butler woke him up every morning, he dressed him, brought him his meals, bathed him, and put him to bed; even reading him a story from time to time. And just as a child, Ciel would usually ask for Sebastian to stay with him in his room until he fell asleep.

Yes, Ciel was, indeed, a child.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was able to do everything for himself. He didn't sleep and worked right through the night, he dressed himself and looked presentable, he didn't eat, which gave him more time to work, he was able to bathe himself in a matter of minutes, and he even disciplined the other servants; who had a tendency to act childish and misbehave from time to time. As a butler, this was nothing more than what was expected of him. Even so, Ciel found himself in envy of him. Sebastian was able to simple things he still couldn't.

Ciel didn't know how to dress himself properly; unable to button up his shirts and overcoats, tie a tie himself or make a bow, he didn't even know how to tie his own shoes. And whenever he tried, he ended looking disheveled and sloppy.

Every once in in a while, Ciel found himself looking at Sebastian, and he wondered: what would it be like to be able to do all the things he could do? What would it be like to be taller than he was now; to be Sebastian's height?

Ciel chuckled at the thought. Maybe he should ask him sometime, because he was sure while being tall had its perks, there could be a few bothersome disadvantages, too.

* * *

**((Sorry, I know that was short. Keep a look out for the next chapter!))**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sebastian had noticed the annoyed look that Ciel had carried all day. It wasn't so unusual for him to hold that look, since he would simply use the expression to mask his other emotions. But this time, Ciel was truly unhappy.

"If I may ask, sir…" Sebastian spoke up as he served the earl his afternoon tea, "Is there something that's troubling you?"

"It's nothing." Ciel replied dully as his gaze veered towards the window.

Sebastian sensed the lie, but decided not to press for answers. He handed Ciel the cup of tea, bowed, and turned for the door.

"Wait, Sebastian…"

The butler stopped short of the door, "Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

Sebastian turned around and made his way back to his master's desk, "What is it, sir?"

Ciel's thumb brushed over the ring that barely fit on the thumb of his left hand, a habit he had developed over the years since he'd started wearing it.

He relieved a soft sigh.

"Tell me, what were you like as a child?"

Sebastian found himself caught slightly off guard by the question, "I beg your pardon, master?"

"I'm just curious. What were you like when you were my age? Maybe eleven or twelve years old?"

Sebastian dug through his memory, trying to push aside century's worth of memories. It's not that he couldn't remember his younger years. He had done so much that his childhood was the last thing on his mind. But there were still a few things he could recall.

"Actually, I was much like you when I was that age, young master; small, helpless, an annoyance, to some."

Ciel scoffed, "Be serious."

"I am being serious, my lord. Demon children aren't much different from human children. We're a bit more sadistic, but our strength, speed, and reflexes are nearly the same until we hit puberty."

"Is being a sadist really the only thing that separates demon children from humans?"

"That and along with the face we don't eat and some of us don't sleep. I slept to keep myself out of trouble, that and hunting the ugly things that scurried about in Hell." A small smile crossed his face, "Other than that, there's not much left I can tell you."

Ciel's face held a neutral look, but deep down he was rather disappointed. He expected Sebastian to tell a more thrilling story about his childhood; being a demon and all.

"What about friends and family?" Ciel asked, "What about your parents?"

Sebastian merely shrugged, "My parents weren't in the picture most of the time. They were always more interested in signing contracts than taking care of a child. As for friends, we only made friends with the things that didn't try to kill us; which included demons that were several years younger than us and the occasional scaly thing that crawled about here and there."

Even this conversation was becoming boring to Ciel. He waved Sebastian off; dismissing him for the time being. After he had left, Ciel began to ponder about what the butler had told him.

_'I was much like you when I was that age; small, helpless…'_

He could never imagine that and the thought alone was enough to make him chuckle a bit. Sebastian was tall and strong. Thinking of him otherwise was impossible. Thinking of himself like that could easily be seen, and for once… just once… he wished it was different. He didn't want to be seen as small, helpless, or weak; even though he proved those who underestimated him wrong plenty of times before. He wanted to be taller and more dignified, in that sense. He wanted to be at least eye-level with his teachers—especially Sebastian—so dance lessons weren't such a fiasco. That height would also help him feel less humiliated when he attended meetings; he'd be a young adult, not a child.

And while all that happened, he could give Sebastian a taste of his own medicine.

There were times when the butler picked fun at him for getting kidnapped or showing some form of weakness. Ciel hated him when he brought him that low whenever he sensed hesitation or temptation. He wanted Sebastian to know exactly what that sort of frustration felt like. For once, he wanted Sebastian to be the smaller, weaker one who needed to rely on someone else's help. The thought was cruel, but he figured Sebastian would have it coming after teasing him for the past two years.

The rest of the day was rather quiet as Ciel did paperwork in his study and Sebastian did his chores about the manor.

His previous conversation with the earl unnerved him slightly, but he shook it off. After all there were plenty of things he didn't understand about his master. Why was he so dependent on everyone to do everything for him? Why was he so stubborn? What was it like to be in his shoes? Did he really_ want_ to know?

He tucked the earl in that night without any more pressing questions. He was lucky enough to find himself without chores for the night, and he decided to retire to his room.

He looked at his bed, which was neatly made. He couldn't recall a time where he had actually used it, since he never needed to sleep. He had never bothered to rest against it, let alone lie down on it.

Sebastian sat down on the mattress. It wasn't like he was expecting a cloud, but it _was_ rather comfy for a bed provided in the servant's quarters. The sheets were still fresh and crisp; free from the mangled appearance from being slept in.

He checked the time on his chain watch.

10:17 pm. He decided he could afford a few hours of sleep. He undressed himself, showered, and slipped into an older shirt and trousers that could easily pass for night clothes; all things he suddenly realized Ciel wasn't able to do by himself.

He chuckled at the thought, "I wonder what it would be like be that helpless all over again."

Curling up under the covers, Sebastian rested his head against the goose-down pillow, closed his eyes, and slowly but surely fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning, Ciel woke up by himself. It had to be midmorning, since the sun was already high in the sky. His gaze veered to a clock that sat on top of the fireplace.

9:00 am. He had overslept by a couple of hours, and he didn't even know if he had anything scheduled for this morning. Where on earth was Sebastian, and why had he failed to wake him up?

Ciel reached for his eye patch. He found himself with less string to tie into a knot, but he still managed to secure it to his face. Sitting up in bed, something felt off. This bed felt smaller than the one he had gone to bed in, but he pushed that feeling aside and moved to stand up, only to find his feet touched the ground. Usually, they hung over the edge of the bed and hovered at least of foot off the ground. Now his feet were planted flat against the floor.

"That's strange…" Ciel told himself as his hands reached for his ring. He attempted to slide it onto his thumb, only to find that it no longer fit on that finger, "What the hell?"

And that's when he noticed it. His voice was deeper… much, much deeper than it usually sounded.

Quickly, Ciel dropped his ring onto the dresser and ran for the nearest mirror.

What he saw nearly made him fall over.

If he hadn't known better, and if it weren't for his eye patch, he would have thought it was his own father staring back at him. But he knew it was only himself. An older version of himself. But how? How had he gone from being a teenager to a young adult overnight?

Ciel looked himself over. His nightshirt fitted like a regular shirt; cutting off just above his hips. He walked back over to his dresser and picked up his ring. Carefully, he slid it onto the ring finger of his left hand. It fit perfectly.

"What the devil is happening?"

Devil. Sebastian.

Knowing none of his clothes would fit him, Ciel dug out an old outfit that his father had left behind and had survived the fire that had killed him. He didn't bother with a tie, knowing it would be hopeless to attempt to tie it on his own. He managed to slide into a pair of trousers, a white shirt, and an overcoat. He even managed to button the shirt.

Cautiously, he walked from his room to the servant's quarters, keeping a look out of the other servants. He wasn't sure how he planned on explaining this to them, but all he was focused on was finding Sebastian.

As he neared Sebastian's door, he noticed it was wide open and he wondered briefly about what he would find inside. Would Sebastian even_ be_ inside?

As Ciel peered into the doorway, he noticed there was something, or someone, curled up underneath the sheets on the bed in a tight ball.

"Sebastian…" he called in a hushed tone, "Hey, Sebastian, wake up!"

Whatever was underneath the blanket shifted slightly, but didn't show itself.

Ciel approached the shape warily, still uncertain if it truly was Sebastian under the covers. He reached out a hand and gripped onto the corner of the crisp, white sheet. He hesitated a moment before yanking it off the bed.

Ciel stumbled back at what was curled up in front of him.

A small boy, about eleven or twelve years old in appearance, lay sleeping in the center of the mattress. He wore a shirt that closely resembled one of Ciel's nightshirts. It was much too long in the sleeves for the boy and baggy everywhere else. His ebony locks of hair framed a child's face. A pixy-like nose twitched in sleep. Needless to say he found the child somewhat adorable.

The boy shifted, relieving a tiny moan before his big, round eyes opened. The dark crimson color they bared easily gave away his identity.

"Sebastian…" Ciel muttered, unsure of what to make of his butler's appearance.

The boy's eyes shifted over to him, "Young master?"

Ciel struggled to keep himself from erupting into hysterical laughter. Sebastian's voice severely lacked the deep, dark tones to it. It was replaced with higher pitched, childlike tones instead.

"Sebastian, what the bloody hell happened to you?" Ciel asked, trying to keep the snicker out of his voice.

"I'm sure I could ask you the same thing, sir." Sebastian replied, "What? You went through puberty all in one night?"

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. I went to bed as the thirteen year old you tucked in and I woke up like this." And then something occurred to him, "Wait, what were you doing sleeping in the first place. I thought demons didn't sleep."

Sebastian sat up, rubbing at his eyes with sleeve-covered hands, "What's wrong with getting a couple of hours of sleep?"

"A couple? It's past nine o'clock!"

"I'm sorry, sir. But when I woke up like this, I couldn't bring myself to set foot outside my room."

Ciel allowed himself to relax slightly.

"At least tell me my schedule isn't too busy today."

"There isn't much planned for today, actually." Sebastian said, "Madam Red plans on visiting this afternoon, but other than that there's nothing."

Ciel was somewhat relieved at the words. He didn't want any of his teachers to see him like this, nor did he want too many people seeing Sebastian the way he was now. Madam Red and her butler, Grell could be trusted. If nothing else they might be able to provide them with answers.

Sebastian lifted his arms, exposing the sagging, drooping sleeves, "What am I to do about this?"

"I can call Nina and have her make you a new tailcoat and a few pairs of pants until we figure out what's going on here." A sly smirk settled on Ciel's face, "Until then, I'm sure I have something that will fit you perfectly."

Sebastian flipped himself around and collapsed into the pillows. Although his face was completely buried, it couldn't muffle the frustrated groan that he had produced.

Not only had Sebastian turned into a child, he acted like one, as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sebastian followed Ciel back to his bedroom, wearing nothing but the nightshirt he had gone to sleep in.

"This is going to be interesting to explain to the others." He commented.

"Definitely." Ciel agreed, "But hopefully with your younger appearance, Nina will go a little easier on you."

Sebastian's brow twitched in annoyance, "Don't remind me…"

Nina Hopkins tailored clothes, but her specialty was children up to fifteen years of age. With Sebastian looking no older than twelve years old, Ciel was sure this would be a good turn around for him; although he always found it rather amusing whenever Nina would insult him.

"Just so you know, young master." Sebastian said as they entered Ciel's bedroom, "Just because I look like a child now doesn't mean 'Mr. Stiff' has gone away."

Ciel smirked, having been reminded of the name Nina always called Sebastian, "Whatever you say…"

Ciel began digging through his closet, trying to find clothing that would be able to pass for butler attire. He managed to find a black tailcoat, a pair of knee-length, black shorts, a pair of black dress shoes, stockings that would be able to cover his shins, if not reach his knees, a tie, and—out of sheer luck—a pair of white gloves he usually wore for more formal occasions. He removed the red decorative bow from the back of the tailcoat and gave the outfit to Sebastian.

"Change in my bathroom." Ciel said, "I don't want to risk anyone else seeing you dressed like you are now."

Sebastian nodded and closed the door behind him.

Ciel didn't know how long he had been waiting, but it was an abnormally long amount of time. Fifteen minutes passed and he knocked on the door.

"Hey, Sebastian, does it always take you this long to dress yourself in the morning?"

"Just a minute more, master." Sebastian piped from inside the room.

A few minutes later the door finally swung open, revealing a fully clothes Sebastian.

Ciel's hand came up and covered his mouth, making him look almost as if he were trying to think. But in actuality, he was trying to suppress his laughter.

"Those shorts suit you, Sebastian."

An annoyed hum rumbled in Sebastian throat, but he didn't reply to the snide comment.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, "Young master?"

Sebastian's eyes widened, "That's Mey-Rin!"

"Well, we're going to have to tell the others sooner or later. We certainly can't stay locked in here all day."

That was easier said than done, in Sebastian's case. The clumsy maid, Mey-Rin, was infatuated with him. How would she react when she saw him like this?

Mey-Rin opened the door, "Beg your pardon, sir. We're all looking for Sebastian. Is he in here?"

Ciel sighed, "Come in."

The maid was instantly caught off guard by the deeper voice that greeted her; a voice that she knew didn't belong to Sebastian or the young earl. She froze at the sight of them in the room, looking back and forth from Ciel to Sebastian.

"What on earth happened to you two?" She asked.

"We're still trying to figure that one out." Ciel replied.

"Er… um… Sebastian…?"

Sebastian wrapped his arms around himself, "I know…"

A small squeak left Mey-Rin's mouth, "Y-your voice…"

"I know. I know…"

Mey-Rin giggled, "At least you're alright. We all thought you'd gone missing, or something, since we didn't see you at all this morning."

Sebastian looked past Mey-Rin towards the open door to see Bardroy, Finnian, and Tanaka standing there. Bard was struggling to keep himself from laughing and Finny just looked on, smiling. Tanaka simply stood there with a neutral look on his face, although he could sense the steward didn't exactly know what to make of this, either.

Sebastian sighed irritably.

"How embarrassing…"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Needless to say that for Sebastian, Chores were increasingly difficult. Since he had shrunk in size about two feet, cleaning the hard-to-reach places were a challenge. He often found himself asking Mey-Rin to clean the places he couldn't reach, and due to his childhood form his energy and speed levels were virtually the same as that of a human. The fact that he wasn't able to move as fast, reach as far, or work as long frustrated him.

Out in the garden, work was equally as difficult. There were only so many hedges he could trim and rose bushes he could clip the dying buds from before he was unable to reach the tops. It shamed him when he realized that Finny, who now stood about three inches taller than him, was able to reach what he couldn't. Eventually, he left those tasks to the gardener and resorted to just weeding out the flower beds.

But none of the humiliation he faced could compare to what Sebastian faced in the kitchen. Due to his shorter height, he forced himself to stand on a wooden stool while he worked at the counter. The sharp kitchen knives felt too large for his smaller hands, and he found he couldn't help prepare meals properly. Along with that, Bardroy wouldn't shut his mouth. The chef constantly laughed at his mistakes; mocking Sebastian until he was seething with rage.

And the worst part of it all was that Sebastian was too small and powerless to do anything about it.

"Here, Sebastian. Let me help you." Bardroy said, noticing the way Sebastian was struggling to chop various vegetables for a soup they planned on serving, "Before you hurt yourself."

The chef's hand reached out for the knife gripped awkwardly in Sebastian's hand, chuckling lightly. Sebastian gritted his teeth, and one second the knife was cutting away at carrots and celery, the next the sharp tip of the blade was inches away from Bard's face. The butler's eyes were aflame; burning with his mounting anger and frustration. It clearly told the chef that Sebastian didn't enjoy being treated like a child.

Then he thought to himself. There were several things he was unable to do; simple things that were barely a strain before. He struggled to pour tea and push the tea cart. Some of the larger gardening tools were difficult to handle, and cleaning the mansion was ridiculously challenging.

Sebastian took a calming breath before slowly moving the knife away from Bardroy's face and turning it over to him.

"I should start preparing for Madam Red's arrival, anyways."

The butler leaped down from the stool and made his way out into the main lobby. In truth, everything had already been prepared. The mansion was clean, lunch was being prepared, and spare rooms had been made up, because—knowing Madam Red—she'd be staying for more than one day. All he could do now was wait for her and her butler, Grell, to arrive.

Sebastian let his mind wander. He wondered if this whole thing between him and his master was permanent. If it was, he knew he wouldn't have his abilities back for another year, at the very minimum; whenever he hit puberty all over again. If it was, he didn't have much time with Ciel. Humans aged and died, demons could live forever. With his master looking about twenty or twenty-one years of age, Sebastian's time to fulfill the earl's wish—revenge on the people who had wronged him—was shortened by eight or nine years. If it _wasn't_ permanent, however, when would it end? If there was a way to reverse this, how?

A knock at the door pushed Sebastian out of his thoughts. He trotted up to the door and reach for the handle, hesitating for a moment before pulling it open.

Even Madam Red towered over him. She wore a red wide-brimmed hat that was decorated with a black flower, a red dress with a white long-sleeved dress shirt with frills along the front, and she wore a red overcoat, as well. Her butler Grell was at her side; where he belonged as a butler. He was a man with long brunette hair that was tied back with a red ribbon. He wore a long, dark brown coat and a suit that matched, along with a pair of glasses with circular frames.

Madam Red looked Sebastian over curiously.

"Sebastian?"  
"That isn't Sebastian, silly." Grell said, "If nothing else he could be related to him; a nephew, perhaps."

Grell bent down and patted Sebastian's head, "Aren't you just the cutes little fellow. Look at you, all dressed up like a butler. Goodness, you even look like—"

The feeling a hand being brought across his face in an ear-splitting slap silenced Grell. Sebastian gritted his teeth and kneed the other butler in the groin, causing him to double over.

"Please excuse me, Madam." Sebastian said with a bow.

"So it really is you." Madam Red remarked.

Sebastian nodded and opened the door wide, "Please come in. We've been expecting you."

Madam Red, ignoring her fallen butler, walked inside while Sebastian looked back at Grell.

"You're free to join us whenever you're ready."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Madam Red's gaze shifted from Ciel to Sebastian and back to Ciel again.

"How bizarre." She murmured, "It's almost as if you and Sebastian have switched places."

Neither Sebastian nor Ciel could deny that. Sebastian's smaller size made him weaker and less intimidating. Ciel's taller, more dignified appearance made him seem more mature and capable. It almost _was_ as if they'd switched places. However, Sebastian was still a butler and Ciel was still his master; whether "young" was implied in the title or not.

"So how did this happen?" Red asked.

Ciel and Sebastian looked at each other with questioning glances.

"We honestly don't know, my lady." Sebastian said, "But I assume this didn't happen just out of mere coincidence."

Ciel shot him a sharp look, 'What do you mean by that?"

"Come on, master. I know you were wondering what life would be like as an adult all day yesterday. Just the same, I kept wondering why you were so dependent on me and what it would be like to be as small and helpless as you."

"So you're telling me all of this happened just out of you wishing for it?" Madam Red remarked.

"Not exactly." Sebastian said, "I think someone or something overheard us and did this."

"Like a fairy? That's just absurd."

"Even the illogical can become logical, Madam Red." Ciel said, "Right now, we're thinking of anything and everything that's capable of doing something like this."

"Indeed." Sebastian agreed, "But for now, we're just learning how to cope. Maybe soon something will—"

Sebastian was instantly cut off as a firm hand clasped around the base of his neck, hoisting him up off of the floor and into the air. Another hand came around and gripped the boy's throat, cutting him off from air; as if he really needed it.

"Just what gives you the right to kick a fellow butler in his manhood, you little twerp?" a sharp voice asked, thick with anger and frustration.

Sebastian kicked and squirmed as he realized he was in Grell's grip. He tried kicking out at the man's face, only to have his feet strike nothing but air. He clawed at his hands, trying to relieve the pain and pressure crushing his throat.

"Put him down, now!" Ciel hissed.

The demand fell onto deaf ears as Grell continued to try to suffocate Sebastian; the younger butler's kicks becoming more and more frantic the tighter his grip became.

"Let… me… go!" he managed to choke out; the demand falling once again on deaf ears as Grell only tightened his grip.

Tears began to fill Sebastian's eyes as the pain became too much to bare.

"Master…" he cried out, "Help me!"

Ciel's eyes widened. Never before had those words left his butler's mouth. It scared him to realize that Sebastian was now nothing more than a helpless child who needed _his_ help.

He tightened his grip on his walking stick, which, out of habit, he kept in his hand. Ciel brought it across Grell's head. The stick broke in half out of the sheer force Ciel put into the blow.

Madam Red, having gotten fed up with her butler's actions a while ago, flung a small knife she kept sheathed in the sleeve of her coat; a weapon she simply said she used in case the need for self-defense arose. The blade of the knife dug deep into the arm Grell had been using to strangle Sebastian.

Grell instantly released his grip on Sebastian, letting him fall to the floor.

The younger butler propped his upper body up using his arms as he coughed harshly. He felt as if his vocal cords and tonsils were about to expel themselves from his throat. He was fighting for air his body didn't need to live, but he needed it now as it would help with the pain.

"Sebastian, are you all right?" Ciel asked, kneeling down beside him.

Sebastian was coughing so heavily he could barely speak. It was remarkable how afraid he was of someone he had seen a dozen times before, and someone who he personally deemed incompetent. The only thing that separated the butler he was before and the child he was now was the thousands of years' worth of experience he had locked in his memory.

Ciel wrapped his arms around the trembling butler as Madam Red gripped onto Grell's ponytail and began dragging forcefully out the door.

"We better go." She said, "I'll be back later to check in."

Ciel nodded as he held Sebastian closer to him. Normally it was Sebastian who did this to him whenever he'd have a nightmare. How strange it felt to be the one comforting his butler, instead.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sebastian lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. His throat was still sore from where Grell had been gripping him. There were marks left where his fingers had dug into his skin that ached whenever he turned his head. In his head, he knew he should be used to wounds like this, since life in Hell was hard to live. But he hadn't suffered marks in years... many, _many_ years, and he found that his body was no longer used to this sort of pain.

The tailcoat he had borrowed from Ciel was hung over the back of his desk chair. Nina Hopkins would be coming tomorrow to make him one of his own to wear until this mess was figured out, and in truth he wasn't looking forward to it. Would she baby him or treat him like "Mr. Stiff" once more? Would she tailor him something appropriate for his position as Ciel's butler, or would she try to shove him onto the latest fashions; flashy colors and unnecessary frills?

Slowly, Sebastian's hand reached for the pin that was secured to the tailcoat's collar. It identified the butler of the Phantomhive family. It had marked him as such for the past two years, and in that time he had been trusted to protect his master, no matter what the circumstances. If he wasn't strong enough to protect himself now, how could he even hope to protect Ciel?

The pin teased him with its playful shine, as if it were testing him for weakness. The pin was a demon in itself, and it was a powerful one, at that. Sebastian rolled on his side, turning away from the pin and its taunting gleam, silently cursing at it for doing so, and cursing at himself for showing weakness.

Eventually, he forced himself out of bed, knowing it was almost time for dinner to be served. He wondered if the roast pork that had been cooking earlier had been burned to a crisp by Bardroy's flamethrower, or perhaps blown to bits with dynamite. On second thought, he didn't want to know.

Sebastian slid the tailcoat back on and checked the time. It would still be an hour before dinner had to be served. He walked from his room to the kitchen. Surprisingly enough, Bard was preparing the pork roast to serve. It was well cooked with no burn marks or hints of sticks of dynamite being used.

"How's it coming?" Sebastian asked.

Bardroy's head turned, "I'm doing it like you always say to do it. Why? Does something look wrong with it?"

"No, no. I was just checking to make sure."

Bard just shrugged and continued to prepare dinner as Sebastian turned to leave.

He made his way back upstairs to Ciel's study. He knocked lightly on the door and entered the room when Ciel called him in.

"Is something wrong?" Ciel asked, noticing Sebastian still held a slightly downcast look on his face.

"No, sir. I just came to check in on you."

Ciel's face softened and he set down the pieces of paper he had been working on, "How's your throat feeling?"

Sebastian's hands came up and rubbed at the imprints still left on his skin. Underneath those makers, the muscles and tissue still burned and ached. It would take a little more time for those injuries to heal.

The pained expression on Sebastian's face was enough of an answer for Ciel.

"Dinner's almost ready." Sebastian added, "Bardroy has prepared it properly, for once."

"Huh, surprise, surprise… I thought he'd have burned down the kitchen by now."

"Yes, well given the current situation, I think he knows better than to go nuts with his explosives."

Ciel knew the meaning behind Sebastian's words. Usually, whenever the chef decided to use "creative" means of cooking meals, the damage that resulted could easily be cleaned up by Sebastian. But with the butler as small and helpless as he was now, and explosion cleanup would take a day, if not more; opposed to just a day ago, Sebastian could have the damage cleaned up within an hour.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Sebastian." Ciel said, "If nothing else, Undertaker might have answers for us."

Sebastian snickered, "Yeah, the laugh he'll gain simply by seeing us like this should gain us all the information we need."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dinner went as planned that night in the Phantomhive household; with the acceptation that Sebastian wasn't the one tending to Ciel's needs as he ate. Instead, it was Mey-Rin who took his place while Sebastian helped Bardroy clean up the kitchen.

The new shortness of his arms made it possible for him to clean only half of the counter, and the fact that he was using the stool again to get himself up there meant he could only clean one area of the counter at a time. He could sense Bard was growing impatient with him. It angered Sebastian to think he was starting to lose the respect of the other servants; and the day wasn't even over yet.

One eternity later, Sebastian had finished cleaning off the counter. He leaped down from the stool and slid it to a corner so it was out of the way.

"I'll let you finish up here, Bard." He said as he walked out the door, not exactly waiting for a reply.

By now, Ciel had finished his dinner and was back up in his study. He was suddenly aware of all the things he relied on Sebastian to do, since Mey-Rin or Tanaka had taken over some of his duties throughout the day. It concerned him. If Sebastian couldn't protect himself, he couldn't protect him. He couldn't serve food or tea properly. He couldn't fulfill orders as quickly as he could before. If he couldn't do that much, what _could_ he do?

On many levels, Ciel blamed himself. He was the one who wanted to see what Sebastian was like if he was the small, weak, powerless one who needed everyone's help. He was also the one who wondered what it would be like to be the adult; to be taller and more independent. Well, he was no more reliant on someone else's help than he was the day before, and although his new height had its advantages, it also produced complications. There were a few low-hanging doorways he had hit his head on, not to mention he was no more eye level with Sebastian and the other servants that he was as the short twelve year old he had gone to bed as. That the very least, he was a few inches taller than Bardroy, so he didn't have to look down at him as much as he did with the other servants.

Before today, Ciel had been wishing to hold more physical power than Sebastian. Now, he was desperate for things to go back to the way they were before. He briefly wondered if simply wishing for things to go back to the way they were before would make it happen like wishing had done for him yesterday; though he doubted it.

Ciel reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled put a picture that had been taken with Talbot's camera. The picture showed him sleeping in the desk chair in his study with Sebastian at his side and the demon hound, Pluto, clinging to the window; his bare private parts thankfully hidden by the a corner of his chair. The only thing was, in this photograph, he was still he twelve-year-old self and Sebastian still towered over him. When the photo graph had been taken, Sebastian tried to convince him that his appearance in the image was nothing more than illusion. But the image was still there and Ciel couldn't deny the fact that the reason Sebastian had appeared in the photograph was because he cared for the butler more than anyone else; the way he had held Sebastian when Grell attacked him proved that fact.

And then the thought hit him. Who did Sebastian care for the most? He figured if it was someone other than Ciel himself, he could gain information if he couldn't get anything from Undertaker.

Ciel was now glad that Sebastian had snuck into his study and taken this photo. Because if they were going to be stuck like this forever, it would be nice to have something left to tell others about the times when things were different.

Ciel tucked the photograph back into the desk drawer he had gotten it from, saving it for another time when he wanted to take a trip down Memory Lane.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for not updating in the past few days. Since winter break ended, my updates are probably going to slow down. just keep a look out for new chapters. I'll update when I can. But for now, enjoy chapter 9!**

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Chapter 9

The next morning, Ciel was woken up by Sebastian. The demon's voice hadn't deepened in the slightest, dashing the earl's hopes that yesterday had only been a dream. Sebastian was still in the form of a small twelve year old boy and Ciel was still in the form of a twenty year old man.

He was happy to see that Sebastian could perform his morning routine, at least. Sebastian must have told Tanaka it'd drive him mad, otherwise. He had been dismissed from cooking, cleaning, and some of the gardening. He couldn't man a carriage or tend to the horses, which pretty much left him in charge of just weeding, accounting in his office, handling mail, and performing Ciel's morning routine.

Sebastian dressed Ciel, efficiently buttoning his shirt and overcoat and securing a tie around his neck. He poured the earl a cup of Earl Grey tea and handed the cup to him.

"You must be adjusting." Ciel commented, "You seem a little less awkward when you're pouring tea."

Sebastian just shrugged, "I've been practicing."

Ciel chuckled, "What's on my schedule today?"

"Nina Hopkins is coming over at nine to tailor a few tailcoats and pants for me, and at noon Lady Elizabeth is coming over…"

Ciel's head shot up, "Lizzy? Damn, how the hell will I be able to explain _this_ to her? And if Aunt Francis is with her, I'll never hear the end of it!"

The earl set his cup of tea down and paced the room.

"Can you tell her to come another day; that I'm busy right now?"

Sebastian could only shake his head, "For all I know she could be on her way right now."

Ciel shook his head, imagining how all of this would play out trying to explain the situation to Elizabeth. He briefly hoped she had aged overnight, as well. But the odds of that happening were slim.

"Anything else?"

"If Nina leaves early enough," Sebastian continued, "we can make it to Undertaker's and back before noon. If not, we'll have to wait until Lady Elizabeth leaves."

Nodding, Ciel sat back down on his bed and continued sipping his tea.

Sure enough, at nine o'clock, there was a knock at the door… the front door, anyways, since Nina Hopkins never bothered using the back door as Sebastian always insisted merchants did.

Mey-Rin was the one to dash to the door and welcome the young merchant, only to be trapped in the woman's grip in a vicious hug.

"Oh, Mey-Rin, it's so good to see you!" she beamed, "Looking just as darling as ever in that lovely maid's outfit!"

Mey-Rin just blushed; completely flustered by the sudden commotion.

Nina took a quiet step back from the maid and looked around her.

"So, where's Mr. Stiff?" she asked bluntly, "I was told he could use a few new tailcoats."

Mey-Rin twiddled her fingers, "He and Master Ciel are in the drawing room waiting, Miss. Hopkins."

"Good, then take me to them so we can get this over and done with."

Doing as she was told, Mey-Rin led Nina up the stairs and down the hallway towards the drawing room. She stopped at the door, opened it, and allowed Nina to walk inside. She was not five steps into the room before she paused, taking in the sight of Ciel and Sebastian playing chess.

"Well, I think I've finally got you, Master." Sebastian said, moving a knight, "Check."

Ciel only smirked as his bishop moved and took out that knight, "Wrong again, Sebastian. Check mate."

Sebastian only laughed, clearly not at all upset at his defeat, "I guess you still remain the best chess player London's ever seen, sir."

"Well, naturally. Just because I look older doesn't mean my gaming skills have gotten worse. What? Where you testing me, or something?"

Sebastian smirked, "Maybe. Or maybe it was just my skills that have gotten worse."

Nina cleared her throat, gain the attention of the earl and his butler.

"I was told Mr. Stiff needed me to make him a few extra tailcoats." She spoke up. Wearily, she pointed a finger at Sebastian, "That _couldn't_ be him, could it?"

Sebastian stood from the chair he was in and approached Nina, "It's a _pleasure_ to see you again, Miss Hopkins."

"My, my… what happened to you? What happened to earl Phantomhive?"

Ciel Shrugged, "We're still working on figuring that out. until then, Sebastian's been borrowing my clothes since yesterday just to keep his appearance up. It'd be better if he were to have clothes of his own until this mess is straightened out."

Nina nodded, "A-alright, then let's get started, shall we?"

For a while, Sebastian was standing in place, allowing Nina to take his measurements. He constantly found himself stifling irritated groans as she kept commenting on how much shorter he had gotten, how much skinnier his limbs were and how much thinner his waist had gotten; simply stating the fact that he was _smaller_ than some of _Ciel's_ previous measurements.

"Alright," Nina said as she finished recording Sebastian's measurements, "What kind of style were you looking for?"

"Just a simple black tailcoat will work fine." Sebastian said quickly, "A couple of vests and dress shirts to go along with them, too."

"Well, you're no less dull and boring than you were before, Mr. Stiff, despite the fact you look adorable as a twelve year old."

Nina escorted Sebastian and Ciel into the hallway, telling them she would bring them back up when it was time for fitting.

Meanwhile, Ciel and Sebastian decided to kill time out in the garden. Ciel admired the beauty of the white roses that grew, while Sebastian simply enjoyed the fresh air and the little black kitten that wandered around outside.

The two of them managed to find a clearing and they lay back in the grass to watch the clouds roll by. They didn't say much to one another, and only watched things that grabbed their attention. Ciel found it rather fun to watch the blue jay build its nest up in a nearby tree, while Sebastian's attention had been taken by a Blue Morpho butterfly; their color reminding him of his master's eyes.

Ciel's attention was drawn away from the blue jays as he heard the sound of laughter. As he turned to look, he saw Sebastian rolling in the grass as the butterfly fluttered to and fro. It seemed to him that the colorful insect was trying desperately to get at the young butler's face.

Originally, Ciel would have snapped at Sebastian; telling him to get a grip and behave more properly. But as he watched Sebastian roll and laugh, he realized something he had never seen from him before. Sebastian was happy. And this wasn't the clever smirk he carried to show his smugness, Sebastian was enjoying himself; he was having fun. Seeing a softer more childlike nature in his stiff, dull butler softened Ciel and he smiled as he watched Sebastian lay back in the grass and let the Blue Morpho land on the tip of his pixy-like nose. The butterfly's wings opened and closed, opened and closed; blue to brown, blue to brown.

Ciel Chuckled as his gaze shifted to the blue sky, watching puffy white clouds drift away into the distant skies.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sebastian looked himself over in the mirror carefully, taking in the details of his new outfit.

The tailcoat was black, as usual. The vest he wore underneath that was a steely grey in color; only a slight, subtle change from the deep purple vest he usually wore. The dress shirt underneath that was white with thin vertical line patterns running down it. Ciel's tie was secured around his neck. Although it wasn't necessarily becoming of a butler to wear shorts, a pair of knee-length, black shorts covered his upper legs; the tails from the tailcoat just behind them. He still wore Ciel's stockings and, out of her own kindness, Nina had found him his own pair of black dress shoes.

Sebastian looked like a butler again. He had his own uniform, in contrast to the clothes Ciel let him borrow, which made him look like a nobleman's child trying to pass for a butler.

"What do you think, Sebastian?" Ciel asked, thoroughly looking him over. Nina Hopkins seemed to have the same question in her eyes as she shook with anticipation.

"Well, the shirt and vest and tailcoat all fit perfectly." Sebastian commented, "The outfit is comfortable. The shorts, again, I'll have to get used to, but paired with the stockings and the dress shoes, I see no problems with it."

Nina smiled, though it was clear she was trying to hold back an excited cheer as she packed up her fabrics and pins and strings.

"It's not the most exciting outfit I've ever made." She said, "But, then again, you are a butler."

With no warning, she walked over to Sebastian and wrapped him and hug. The butler had no idea what to make of the situation, since Nina usually just said, "Good-bye, Mr. Stiff." and left. Now, he was in a death-grip of a hug; one he had only seen Mey-Rin and Ciel receive from the young merchant.

"It was actually nice to see you again, Sebastian." Nina said, "Please, never grow up!"

Had he heard her right? Did Nina Hopkins actually refer to him as 'Sebastian'? What happened to 'Mr. Stiff and the crude treatment she always gave him? What happened to the insults?

Unable to do anything else, Sebastian retuned the hug, unsure of what to make of the new way he was being treated. He had never really been hugged by anyone before. There were those times he hugged Ciel when he woke screaming from nightmares, and there were those times Mey-Rin would trip and fall against him, and there and there had been a few occurrence involving Finny and Bard when he allowed them to have leftover dessert. But he had never truly been hugged before, and, of all people, it was from Nina Hopkins.

Finally she let go of him and ruffled his hair.

"Well, I better go." She said, "I have another appointment to get to."

Ciel smiles and waved good-bye as Sebastian showed the merchant to the door. Neither of them said another word as Nina vanished out the door and into a waiting carriage. Just before the carriage pulled off, she waved good-bye to him.  
Sebastian smiled and waved back before returning inside.

Ciel met him in the hallway, "So, do we have enough time to make it to Undertaker's before Lizzy get here?"

Sebastian clicked open his chain watch, "I don't think so, master. It's already past eleven o'clock and it will take at least a half-hour to get there. If we were to leave now, surely we would pass Elizabeth's carriage on the way. It best to wait until she leaves; whenever that maybe."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The clopping of hooved feet against the cobblestone driveway sent chills down Ciel's spine. How did he ever expect to explain this to her? No doubt the moment she saw him she'd flee back into the carriage. No doubt she'd be afraid of him. And what about Sebastian? What would she make of a butler who was her age?

None of these questions he had the answers to as he heard a carriage door swing open and a high pitched squeal hit the air. The voice certainly hadn't changed.

Downstairs, Sebastian braced himself to open the door. He made sure he at least looked like himself so the young noblewoman wouldn't mistake him for Ciel, as he had taken on his height and smaller frame.

To no avail as the door flew open and a girl with blonde, curly hair wearing a soft pink dress dashed inside and virtually threw herself at him, knocking them both to the floor. She began hugging him and greeting him with squeals meant for Ciel.

It wasn't until Elizabeth actually looked at him that she realized she had tackled the wrong man.

"Please forgive me, sir." She pleaded, "I was just looking for Ciel." Her eyes narrowed at him, "I say… you look a lot like Sebastian, Ciel's butler. Oh my, you wouldn't happen to be his nephew; a relative of some kind?"

Sebastian stood, brushing himself off before offering Elizabeth his and lifting her from the floor.

"Please excuse me, Lady Elizabeth." He said, "But, as strange as it is, I _am_ Sebastian."

"Don't be silly." Elizabeth laughed, "Sebastian is far older than you are. Or do you both share the same name?"

Sebastian shook his head, "You misunderstand, Lady. My name is Sebastian Michaelis: butler to Ciel Phantomhive."

Elizabeth's eyes widened, "Are… are you telling the truth?"

Sebastian nodded.

"Oh my! What happened to you?"

"We still don't know." Sebastian said shrugging.

"Is Ciel alright?"

"He's changed, as well. He's taller and much older-looking than myself, now."

Elizabeth's eyes stayed wide, absorbing everything Sebastian was telling her.

"Take me to him." she ordered.

Sebastian nodded and led her to Ciel's study, where the earl sat waiting and silently hoping Elizabeth would just stay downstairs and decorate the manor, or dress the servants in silly costumes; anything to keep her from seeing him.

Ciel's hopes were dashed as he heard the rhythmic clopping of Sebastian's dress shoes being followed by the clicking of Elizabeth's high-heels. Her footsteps were patient and clicked in time with Sebastian's steps; a real difference from the noise they made sprinting to find him.

Eventually, the footsteps stopped and there was a knock at the door.

Ciel took a calming breath in and sighed, "Come in."

Sebastian walked into the room, followed by Elizabeth. The young girl stopped next to the butler and looked Ciel over. She was clearly stunned by the earl's older appearance.

"C-Ciel?"

Ciel forced himself to smile and nodded, "It's nice to see you again, Lizzy."

The words relaxed Elizabeth slightly, but she still tried to adjust herself to Ciel's deeper voice.

"Sebastian told me what happened." She stated as she sat down in a chair, "It's all so strange."

"I know, Lizzy. We are working on getting answers. We planned on visiting Undertaker to see if he knows anything that might have caused this."

Elizabeth giggled, "Work, as usual, I suppose."

Ciel nodded as his gaze veered towards Sebastian, "Why don't you make us some tea."

Sebastian bowed and left, his mind playing over what had just happened in the past few minutes. Even Elizabeth was bigger than him now, and she was stronger too. Now he knew how Ciel felt being attacked by her on her regular—or not so regular—visits; bone-crushing strength and one hell of a headache caused by her screeching. But he could handle it. He was still a demon; a child-demon, but a demon, nonetheless.

The butler brewed a blend of Darjeeling's and Earl Grey tea as quickly and efficiently as he could. After about five minutes the tea was dark. Now it was just a matter of getting it to the second story to Ciel's study, all without spilling the tea and being able to push the tea cart that waited for him at the top step.

"The tea smells lovely." A voice suddenly commented.

Sebastian turned. Finny stood there, smiling happily. There were blades of grass in his hair and dirt smudges on his face.

"Thank you." Sebastian said.

"Would you like any help?"

"Are your hands clean?"

"Yes."

Sebastian nodded, "I need to get this tray of tea upstairs to the tea cart. I'm able to carry the sugar cubes and the pot individually. But I can't exactly carry it all at once. It's too heavy for me."

"I can carry the trey for you, sir!" Finny said happily.

"Without breaking anything?"

"Of course!"

Sebastian shrugged and watched as Finny took the metal tray into his hands and carried it upstairs to the tea cart, miraculously getting it there without dropping, spilling, or bending the trey in any way.

"Thank you for your help, Finny." Sebastian said, smiling.

"No problem, Mr. Sebastian! All you have to do is ask."

Ask.

The one thing Sebastian hated doing ever since this whole thing started; asking. He hated the fact he needed help with the slightest of things. But, for now, there was nothing he could do about it.

Finny ran off back outside while Sebastian was left to push the tea cart down the hallways that led to Ciel's study. The cart was heavy and the friction of the wheels against the carpets and rugs made it difficult to push. Originally, the friction wasn't a problem; hell, lifting Pluto the demon hound wasn't a problem. But now everything felt like it weighed two tons, and soon Sebastian's feet were sliding backwards in effort to move the cart forward.

Sebastian firmly braced himself against the cart and thrust himself forward. Surprisingly, it began to move in time with Sebastian's steps, but even he knew it wasn't just a new-found strength he had developed. He could easily feel the pair of gloved hands resting on the outsides of his helping him push the cart.

"It looked as though you needed a little help, Sebastian." An elderly voice told him.

"I did." Sebastian sighed, feeling utterly humiliated at the fact that it was old Tanaka who was helping him push the cart forward, "Thank you."

"Don't beat yourself up, Sebastian. It's something you simply cannot help."

"I wish I could, though. It would make my work so much easier."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lady Elizabeth soon adjusted to the new sound of Ciel's voice. Her visit, as it was considered, was rather normal: gossip, talk of cute outfits, and tea and dessert in the garden. Of course, Elizabeth couldn't help but stare at Sebastian part of the time, as she found his attempts at pouring tea absolutely adorable. In fact, she found _all of him_ adorable.

Sebastian, on the other hand, saw his work and mentally declared himself incompetent. Pouring tea was a struggle. Pushing the tea and dessert cart, a struggle. Serving, a struggle. Even listening to Ciel and Elizabeth's conversations and just standing there, awaiting any orders to fall, was another struggle. _'If I couldn't do this much, at least, then what kind of a butler would I be?'_ he'd always say. Now that he wasn't able to do this much, at least, he found himself no more useful than trash lying in the street. But he tried his best and was often able to cover up his many bothersome mistakes so Ciel and Elizabeth wouldn't notice.

Eventually, Elizabeth made her way towards the carriage. The sun was still high, and Ciel was somewhat grateful she decided not to stay for supper.

As the carriage pulled away, Ciel turned to Sebastian.

"Prepare the carriage." He commanded, "I want to go to Undertaker's and be back by dinner time."

Sebastian bowed, "Yes, my lord."

Ciel strolled back to the garden, leaving Sebastian to prepare the carriage. The young butler turned to Tanaka, who sat at the front steps of the mansion, sipping tea.

"Say, Tanaka?" Sebastian called, a hot blush starting to form on his face.

"Yes, Sebastian?"

"Could you perhaps help me prepare the carriage? With my small size, the horses will surely trample me."

The old steward laughed, "I doubt they'll trample you, sir. But I'll help you, none the less."

It took a reasonably short amount of time for the two of them to pull the carriage to the front drive. Sebastian went to collect Ciel while Tanaka waited. Normally when going into town, Sebastian manned the carriage while Ciel usually stayed in the back. But Sebastian was too small; the reins now awkward in his hands; not to mention what it would look like to see a child operating a carriage by himself. People would be fleeing the streets.

Sebastian and Ciel loaded into the carriage and soon they were off. Both of them were silent as they pulled out of the driveway and into the streets, joining many other people who were moving to and fro, as well.

Sebastian was rather silent, his gaze veering out the window as he stared blankly into the streets.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, sir. Just thinking."

"What about?"

Sebastian straightened up, but the expression on his face didn't change.

"What if Undertaker can't help us?"

The question caught Ciel off guard. He had a backup plan; seeing if Talbot's camera would show anyone who might be able to provide answers. But he couldn't let Sebastian know that.

"I don't know." He said, "But I'm sure he'll find something. We can't stay like this forever."

In truth, Ciel wouldn't mind if he were to be stuck as an adult forever, especially if it mean Sebastian stayed a kid. Sure, there were issues with Elizabeth and their engagement, not to mention how he'd explain this to Francis Midford, as well as anyone involved with the Phantomhives and the Funtom Company. But he was sure he could work around all that. Besides, the thought of watching Sebastian continue to struggle as a child made him smile. He wondered what it would be like to watch his butler mature from the age he was now to the point where he was before.

However, it was clear to him Sebastian didn't enjoy being this small and helpless. The misery was plain as day in his garnet eyes and porcelain features. Depression, uselessness, vulnerability; all of this and more reflected in his gaze, and it was painful. Ciel hated seeing that. Not to mention who would protect him if he were to be attacked? Sure Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finnian were more than capable of protecting him, but they didn't accompany him all that often. Sebastian was always at his side and willing to protect. But being the size of a twelve year old and having the strength of a twelve year old and being as intimidating as a twelve year old, Sebastian would be crushed; a useless tool to use to protect Ciel.

Sebastian sighed and his gaze veered back out the window.

"I hope you're right, master. Because if he can't help us, then we're stuck like this, and stuck like this, I'm no butler."

The words wounded Ciel and he silently vowed he would find a way to put things back to the way they were before.

The carriage pulled to a sudden stop in front of a gloomy grey building with coffins displayed out in front of the windows on the sidewalk. Sebastian exited first, followed quickly by Ciel. Sebastian held the door open for him and followed him inside.

The inner shop was dark and foreboding; severely lacking in daylight. Undertaker was nowhere to be seen, although Sebastian already sensed that the loon was hiding in one of his custom-made coffins.

"Welcome, earl Phantomhive." His scraggly voice chuckled from a coffin nearby. The lid slid open and a man with long, shaggy, grey hair poked his head out. Long, messy bangs covered the upper portion of his face, including his eyes and he wore a wide smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear, "I thought you'd be coming soon enough."

He attitude quickly changed as he looked back and forth from Ciel to Sebastian.

"I say, _butler_." He spoke up, putting emphasis on the word 'butler' as he always did, "You seem to have shrunk a few feet." his gaze veered to Ciel, "And earl… my, my have you grown a couple of feet?"

Both Ciel and Sebastian nodded in response.

"We need answers, Undertaker." Ciel said.

"And your voice is deeper, too. How bizarre."

"Do you know what could have caused this?"

"Nature maybe? It's about time you grew up from you small size, earl."

Ciel shook his head, "Twelve year old boys can't physically age to twenty-one years all in one night. Just the Same, there's no way Sebastian could have gone from being an adult to twelve years old in that same amount of time. So, I'll ask again: do you know anything about this."

Undertaker hummed, "I do… somewhat. But that sort of information is going to cost you."

Ciel groaned in irritation, "We don't have time for this!" he turned to Sebastian, "Can you make it quick?"

Sebastian nodded and approached Undertaker's coffin. He took a deep breath in, and Ciel covered his ears; bracing himself incase Sebastian used his dirtier sense of humor.

All Ciel could hear after that was blaring of Undertaker's laughter. The grey-haired man was a rolling mess in his coffin, laughing, and giggling, and crying all at once.

"What the hell did you say to him, Sebastian?" he asked.

Sebastian looked up at him and grinned, "I just said hi to him."

Hi? Was that some kind of joke? A simple greeting made the stubborn old man roll around laughing? If jokes to make Undertaker laugh were getting this simple, surely even Ciel could find a way to pay the old loon himself.

Undertaker hushed his giggles as he tried to talk, "What a voice you have now, _butler_! You're nothing more than a helpless child now, aren't you?"

"Hey! I can still do some things for myself." Sebastian countered. His exclaim only made the old man laugh harder.

"I'll tell you anything you need to know, earl." His laughed.

"I already told you what I need to know." Ciel growled, "I… we need to know how to undo this whole mess; how to get Sebastian back to his butlery self, and get me to my short, puny, twelve year old self."

Undertaker went silent, clearly looking over his thoughts.

"I've never come across anything like this." He said, "In my long life, I have never seen a person take such a big leap forward in age. Just the same, I've never seen a person go backwards in age."

"Do you have any idea what might have caused it?" Ciel asked.

"Anything could have caused it, really. A spell is most common when it comes to these bizarre occurrences. But it could have been done by the magic of an angel, maybe even a demon's dark magic."

Sebastian held back the urge to testify. Demons had no such power to do this to another individual, and the odds of an angel was impossible. No immortal being had the power to something like that. A spell was possible, but immortals refused to use them as they saw it as an act of weakness; needing to cast a spell because their powers couldn't do it themselves. Immortals were too proud to stoop so low.

"Well, that's not helpful." Ciel remarked, "I hoped there was a specific cause so we could work from there."

Undertaker shrugged, "If something like this had happened before, I would be able to tell you. If you do manage to find a cause, however feel free to tell me all about it."

"Yeah, I guess we'll see you around." Ciel said turning for the door, "Come, Sebastian."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The carriage ride back to the Phantomhive manor was virtually silent. Sebastian had resumed his staring out the carriage window in bitter silence while Ciel lost himself in thought.

It was time for plan B. He would just need to find some way to get Sebastian to sleep again, since he hadn't done so since the switch occurred. But how could he force a demon to sleep? A child-demon… he was the adult… it all just fit together. Then again Ciel thought he couldn't just boss Sebastian around, even if he _was_ just as child. Nobody bossed Sebastian around. Sure, Ciel gave him strict orders, but those were orders. He could order Sebastian to sleep, but more than likely the demon would question why, and he didn't have a good response for that question.

Looking at Sebastian, Ciel could tell the demon was miserable; unhappy at the news that Undertaker couldn't help. He wanted to tell Sebastian to cheer up, that they would find some way to fix this. But he knew from personal experience that such words never helped. It only made that individual feel worse. Instead he veered off the topic completely.

"Care for another round of chess when we get home?"

Sebastian looked at him, "Chess?"

"Yeah, who knows, maybe you'll beat me this time."

Sebastian shot him a look that practically screamed 'Are you kidding me?'

"You always win." He said, "If I beat you, something's wrong."

Ciel chuckled, "Come on. Chess, a cup of Earl Grey, a quiet afternoon; it will be a good way to calm our nerves."

Sebastian laughed, his attitude rapidly changing, "Alright, master."

And when they reached the manor, that's exactly what they did. Ciel and Sebastian locked themselves in the drawing room after a pot of Earl Grey was brewed and they played chess. Sebastian won three games, mostly because Ciel allowed it. In truth, winning all the time bored him. Personally, Sebastian didn't prefer chess and he didn't enjoy tea; the warm beverage tasting like nothing more than warm water to him with a peculiar scent. But if it beat being humiliated any further by Bardroy in the kitchen, making dinner, he was willing to do it.

An hour passed, and Mey-Rin knocked on the door; signaling that dinner was ready. From what Ciel could make of the meal, it was _supposed_ to be oven-roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, but it looked more like a smoldering lump of coal with a mound of hash browns and whatever he assumed the gravy looked like.

Ciel pushed the plate back with a detesting finger, "I think I'll pass on dinner tonight."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow while Bard recoiled in utter shame. _'Cooking is an art!'_ the chef always said, _'Art means explosions!'_. However, seeing how Sebastian was too small to carry out a punishment, he just let it be.

Ciel made his way back to the drawing-room, nearly dragging Sebastian by one arm with him.

"I don't know why we keep him around." Ciel sighed, "I always go to bed hungry when he cooks."

Sebastian shrugged, "He's useful, at times. I don't think the others or I could defend the manor without him. He just needs to be taught a lesson or two, is all."


	14. Chapter 14

**A longer, sadder chapter. I made the background story up. Stupid Imagination! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 14

Ciel waited for the perfect opportunity to use Talbot's camera. He knew now that Sebastian had been falling asleep in his bed, night after night, ever since he was unable to attend to his nightly duties. Although the butler claimed that sleep was still a luxury to him, it was one he found himself frequently enjoying, especially after a long day of work. However, he vowed to never make it a habit of sleeping in.

It was dark out; quite late. Ciel's eyes were heavy, so it had to be around ten o'clock: much too early, he figured, since Sebastian usually didn't retire to his chambers until midnight. But Sebastian hadn't come to perform Ciel's bedtime routine. Ciel could do it himself, but he was more used to his butler tucking him in, instead.

Curious as to where Sebastian could be, Ciel made his way around the manor, checking the parlor, the kitchen, the dining hall, the drawing-room, his office, the study, and he even did a thorough check of the garden. After checking every square inch of the property—all but one place—Ciel went back inside and searched the servant's quarters.

There, he found the butler in his room, curled up in the twin-size bed, sound asleep. What sparked an early turn-in, Ciel didn't know nor did he care to spend his time trying to find out.

As quickly and as quietly as he could, Ciel retrieved Talbot's camera and set it in from of Sebastian. All he had to do was make sure Sebastian remained absolutely still for ten seconds, since it took that long for the camera to copy down an image in the exposure process. When he was absolutely sure Sebastian would stay still for as long as he needed him to, he removed the lens cap. He counted in his head, mouthing the numbers…

1… 2… 3… 4… 5…

Sebastian's pixy-like nose twitched in sleep and he uttered a tiny sigh. The small movement would surely go unnoticed by the camera, but didn't go unnoticed by Ciel, and the earl found some part of him melting at the sight. What was it about Sebastian that made every action downright cute? Is this what the butler had always seen in him when he slept? Was Ciel the same way?

… 8… 9…10.

Ciel was quick to put the lens cap back on. It was done. He had photographed Sebastian. The only question that remained now was who would show up with him in the photograph? Would Ciel know the person? Would it be himself?

Questions he didn't prefer to answer. Right now, all he wanted was to develop the pictures and he quickly did so, even as drowsiness began to eat away at him.

Within a short amount of time, Ciel had his result.

Sebastian indeed showed up in the photo graph, sleeping as soundly as when the photo was taken. But in the bed bedside him, there was not _one_… but _two_ other individuals.

To the butler's left was an older man that appeared to be in his late twenties. He shared the same ebony locks of hair Sebastian bared and similar porcelain skin. To his right was a woman of equal age to the man with lighter hair and soft facial features. The way they looked at Sebastian as he slept, with kind and caring gazes, told Ciel they were more than likely his parents.

But how could that be? Sebastian had told him that his parents didn't play a role in his life.

_'My parents weren't in the picture most of the time. They were always more interested in signing contracts than taking care of a child…'_

Ciel scanned over his thoughts, thinking of other individuals these two strangers might be. An aunt and an uncle? An older brother and sister? Cousins?

No matter how many different possibilities he kept thinking up, Ciel was firmly fixed on 'Parents; mom and dad'. The picture brought a sudden pang of sadness to his own heart. The picture reminded him of all the times he would crawl in bed with his parents late in the night, frightened because of a bad dream or a thunderstorm.

He suppressed the urge to sniffle and stuffed the picture in his pocket. Quietly, he strolled back to his bedroom and crawled in bed. He lit a lantern and looked over the picture again. Sebastian was still there, sleeping, and his parents were still there, watching. But _who_ were they? What were their names? And could they be of any help to him and Sebastian?

Questions prodded at his brain and it drove him to the brink of insanity, and subtly insanity turned into exhaustion, forcing him to close his eyes and fall asleep.

How long the earl had nodded off, he didn't know. But eventually he woke up a peculiar feeling; a terrified feeling. Someone was watching him. Ciel hesitated to open his eyes, knowing just how many times his eyes had tricked him into thinking he had been abducted like he had as a boy after his mansion burned down and his parents died. He feared his eyes would trick him again and he'd end up drawing the pistol he kept hidden under his pillow and aiming it at who he thought was someone who wanted to hurt him, only to draw and aim at nothing at all, or at, perhaps, one of the servants.

But Ciel's ears didn't fail him. He was sure he heard someone shuffling to the foot of his bed; the steps too heavy to be Sebastian's, too coordinated to be Mey-Rin's, too delicate to be Bardroy's, and too subtle to be Finnian's. Someone was definitely in the room with him!

Quickly, Ciel attempted to draw his gun, only to have a firm hand snatch it in midair; the gun grasped in his hands, but practically useless, as Ciel could not move his wrist completely around to aim.

"Easy there, human." A dark voice said, "I mean you no harm."

Ciel slowly turned his head, his royal blue colored eyes meeting those of a deep blood red. In the moonlight, he could just barely make out the man's features. They were familiar.

"Sebastian?" he unknowingly asked.

The man tilted his head, "Who's 'Sebastian'? I am Lucifer."

"Why are you here?"

"Because you want me to be."

"I don't want…"

"You have a heavy question on your mind that directly links to me. Whether it is my name, my face, my hair, my eyes, my voice, even my scent, it was directed to me. You want me to be here because you have a question."

Ciel brightened the light of the lantern. Now he could make out the man's full face.

"You're the man from the picture." Ciel gasped.

Lucifer only tilted his head. Ciel reached for the picture, which he had placed on his dresser. He handed it to the man, who took the photo into his black-nailed hands; his eyes scanning the image with intense interest.

A deep chuckle left his throat, "Michaelis looks just as he did when he was ten years old."

So he was ten, not twelve.

"Where did you get this photo?" Lucifer asked.

"I took it a short while ago with Talbot's camera." Ciel replied.

"Talbot, eh? But how did it manage to show him this young? Michaelis is well over three thousand years old. He's past full grown."

Ciel scooted closer to the older demon that stood before him, "That's my question. There was an incident that occurred a day or two ago. I woke up in this form and Sebas… Michaelis woke up like that. In actuality, I'm thirteen years old, and he's… hell, I don't even know how old he is!"

Lucifer furrowed his brow, "You mean to tell me you aged seven to eight years in one night while Michaelis reverted back to the form of a ten year old?"

From the tone of the demon's vice, he was about to snap at him, but Ciel didn't care by this point. If Lucifer could provide answers, then he was willing to do anything to gain them.

"Yes," Ciel acknowledged, "And lately there have been problems. Sebas… or Michaelis is unable to protect me, as I _am _his master; he can't even protect himself. Not to mention he is unable to perform his duties as my butler properly."

"A butler, eh?" Lucifer inquired, "I never knew Michaelis could be brought so low. But to answer your question, this sort of thing is an angel's doing."

"An angel?"

"Yes, they can be the cruelest of beings towards demons, and sometimes humiliation is their specialty. This has happened to other demons in the past, but not for a very long time."

"Then surely you know how to undo it."

"The only way to undo this sort of thing is to track down the angel and force them to change you two back. If that doesn't happen, then I can only suggest you wait for Michaelis to age and watch yourself age, as well. Besides, watching that boy grow up was one of the most amusing things I've ever had the opportunity to witness."

Ciel shook his head. How did he expect to tack an angel? It's not like they were a common sight around London. But living this way for the rest of his life wasn't an option, either.

He wanted to lash out at Lucifer; to tell him to find another way to fix his problem. But that was quickly extinguished by the realization that he was no match for a demon. Lucifer could snap him like a toothpick and Ciel wouldn't land a single blow. Instead, he remained silent as he watched the demon lose himself in the photograph still gripped in the tips of his fingers.

"Can I ask you another question, Lucifer?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Sebas… your son told me you and his mother weren't in his life as a child. He said you signed contracts more than you cared for him. And yet… Talbot's camera is said to show the ones a person loves the most… Were you ever in his life as a child?"

A look of sorrow filled Lucifer's garnet eyes as his eyes grazed over the image of the woman in the photograph.

"Michaelis doesn't enjoy speaking of his childhood." He explained. He pointed at the woman in the picture, showing Ciel as he continued, "My wife died when he was only three. She was… exorcised… and Michaelis was forced to watch the whole thing. My wife pleaded… begged me to take him away; to take him back into our realm and keep him safe until he grew old enough to fight for himself. I obliged. I had never seen Michaelis cry so hard since that day and the three days that followed. Up until the day he left and returned to serve in the human world I was there for him to keep him safe."

Ciel was silent for some time. He had never known the pain Sebastian had gone through as a child. In truth, he was no different from himself.

"Is that all?"

"No," Lucifer said, "In our realm, it's fight or suffer. Until Michaelis was twelve years old, he was the most targeted and ruthlessly abused; sometimes physically, sometimes sexually. Demons can have intentions just as sick as a human. Michaelis was physically abused whenever he left the house and sexually abused whenever he strayed from my sight. Of course, I always came to his rescue and didn't scold him to be stronger. He does his best, and that's how he's survived as long as he has; no matter how cocky he may seem some days."

Ciel was baffled by the similarity of his and his butler's background story.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say, "I didn't know he had gone through so much."


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you all who have reviewed my story this far in! I love getting feed back. Keep the reviews coming! Enjoy the next chapter...

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Chapter 15

A dull ache had settled into Ciel's chest. What he'd never known about his butler turned out to be just like his own past. He'd lost a parent, he'd been thoroughly abused, and more than likely he had suffered a humiliation just as great as he had. The thought made him think differently of Sebastian, and it made him understand just how much Sebastian knew how important it was that Ciel's name remained protected.

Ciel and Lucifer sat in silence for several minutes, looking over the photo and each other. Ciel briefly wondered how Sebastian would have responded to his father's presence in the mansion, but figured it wouldn't be the most glorious reunion.

Lucifer stood and walked back to the corner of the room from which he had emerged from, "If all of your questions are answered, earl, I shall leave you to your own business."

Ciel didn't give him a single moment to vanish on him.

"Wait a minute!" he spoke up, "How do you expect me catch an angel by myself? How do you expect Sebastian to catch one?"

"Are you saying you wish for me to stay?" Lucifer asked.

"Well, we can't do this by ourselves. Sebastian's cute as a child, but he can meet the requirements of our contract. I would appreciate it if you did stay and helped us."

Lucifer's expressions were blank. He looked Ciel's face over for any doubt or hesitation, as all demons had a tendency to do. He found no such hesitation of that kind; only desperation and a plea glaring within the eyes staring him down.

"Very well." The demon acknowledged, "I shall help you and my son… what did you call him, again?"

"Sebastian."

"And I assume it was just to give him a classical butler's name?"

Ciel gritted his teeth and shook his head. He didn't prefer to tell Lucifer how Sebastian had gotten his name. Surely it would be the next joke this demon would rattle the manor with.

Lucifer stood and made his way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ciel asked.

"I would like to see Michaelis." Lucifer replied, "It's been quite some time since we've seen each other."

Ciel had no idea demons could be so sensitive towards their own kind. Then again, he figured it would be no different between a human father and his son.

He followed the demon back to his butler's bed chambers where the child-demon still lay sleeping in bed.

"Indeed, he looks exactly as he did when he was ten." Lucifer commented quietly as he kneeled down and made himself eye level with Sebastian.

"What was he like at that age?" Ciel asked quietly.

"No much different from a human ten year old, I presume. He had a wicked sense of humor and a terrible sense of curiosity, but other than that he wasn't much different."

Lucifer brought his hand up and stoked Sebastian hair back in a way that reminded Ciel of how his father, Vincent, would do the exact same thing. a type of kitten-like purr escaped from Sebastian's slightly parted lips, the sound filling the room.

"I haven't known him to purr like a cat." Ciel commented, trying to sound as if the action caught him slightly by surprised. In truth, he figured he would be more surprised if Sebastian hadn't purred.

"Demon's make all sorts of animal-like sounds." Lucifer said, "Purrs, growls, snarls, shrieks… whatever the mood calls for, really."

"Is that some way demons communicate with each other?"

"No, they're just sounds we make. I've known humans to make some unusual noises, too, you know. So really it's not much different."

Lucifer made his way around the bed and sat down in the chair that sat at the butler's writing desk. It seemed he intended to spend the remainder of his time there, so Ciel left him there as he went back to his own bedroom; completely drained of energy and desperately wanting to go back to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sebastian was aware that something was different from the moment he woke up. His eyes had not yet opened as he tried to savor the last remains of sleep that still weighed down his eyelids, but his eyes were attuned to his surroundings and every so often he would hear just the slightest shuffle and a small breath. Sebastian didn't need to open his eyes to know who was in the room with him.

A demon much older than himself by a span of well over four thousand years: his breath smelled of hellfire; a smell that was found to be rather pleasant by demons. judging from the scraps of the demons voice that were released with his breaths, this demon was one he knew, and one he knew very well. The only question that remained was _why_ he was here.

Sebastian rolled from his fix position on his side to lying on his back and he looked over to the older demon who sat in his desk chair watching him. The jet black locks of hair and garnet eyes—features that closely resembled his own— dispelled the microscopic shreds of doubt that still lingered within him.

"You're up early." The demon commented.

"It's nice to see you, too, father." Sebastian said as he sat up, "What are you doing here?"

"Earl Phantomhive had a question."

Sebastian scoffed, "Do you ever keep your ears out of the human realm."

The older demon only chuckled deeply as he continued, "I've already identified the cause of your situation. It seems the angels have been getting restless again."

Sebastian flopped back into his pillows and growled long and low, "So it was an angel's doing, was it?"

"It would seem so… the real question is which one did this to you and the earl."

The only angels Sebastian knew of that had anything against him and his master was Ash Landers and Angela Blanc. Angela had been the first to attack him and Ciel, and she was exterminated rather quickly by him and a couple of Grim Reapers that had been around at the time. Just the same, Ash had been viciously torn apart with Sebastian's own hands. However, angels were much like demons. Even if they died in the human world their spirits lived on in their own realms and could return on an as-needed basis.

Sebastian sat up in bed again and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He no longer cared about anyone seeing him as a child, since there was nothing he could do about it for now, and especially since it was his own father who was looking at him. Instead, he allowed himself, to be warmly hugged by the older demon. Even at times when he wasn't a child, physically, he was always a child in the eyes of his father, who had raised him from an early age. Sebastian preferred not to be taken by memories, but think of his father and himself, along with his childhood brought back memories of his mother; and there were only a select few that didn't send chills down his spine and pang of sadness into his chest.

Desperate to keep that horrible memory off his mind, Sebastian slipped out of his father's grip and dressed himself in his attached bathroom. Everything Nina had tailored for him still fit exactly as they had the day before, so why did he feel as though he had gotten smaller?

He shook that feeling off as he combed his hair and exited his bathroom.

His father looked him over and smiled, "So that butler think your master was talking about was no joke, eh?

"It wasn't" Sebastian confirmed, securing his butler's pin the collar of his tailcoat and checking his chain watch, "Right now, I have to wake Bardroy up so he can start on breakfast. Hopefully he doesn't try to burn the manor down this time."

Sebastian's "new" behavior was rather unusual to Lucifer, as he had known his son to get on with fulfilling a contract's requirements, collecting the contractor's soul, and moving on. But this was different. To be hired in an earl's house as a butler, to have a daily routine, and to focus on something as pointless to a demon as breakfast; everything was much different, too out of character for Sebastian, or at least that's how Lucifer saw it.

But he wasn't one to talk, as he also signed contracts with humans, and he knew how far things could go in a long-term contract just for a demon like him to blend in.

"If you're going to be busy, Michaelis," he spoke up, "Do you mind if I explore the manor a bit?"

"Not at all." Sebastian replied, "Just watch out for Pluto, he can be a little jumpy when it comes to newcomers."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A charred kitchen, charcoal meals, and another mess to clean: this was the start to Sebastian's morning. The butler shook his head as he took in what Bardroy told him.  
There was a lot of food to be cooked and it was going to take a long time. So to speed things up I decided to use my flamethrower."

The way Sebastian saw it, in Bard's mind, stove meant flamethrower, seasoning meant gun powder, and oven-roasted meant blown to bits with dynamite. Why couldn't the weapon's expert to the manor also have the talent of a good chef?

Lucifer looked on with a similar look on his face. Since Sebastian was unable to do it himself, the older demon offered to help clean up the kitchen and once everything had been cleaned up, it was time to start over.

By the time Ciel had been woken up and dressed, another breakfast had been made and was ready to serve. The earl was unaware of the incident that occurred while he had slept, and Sebastian preferred to keep it that way. It was stressful enough to know an angel, of all things, was behind this mess, not to mention there was still the task of finding the angel and trying to force it into changing them back into their previous forms; and that would be a challenge all on its own. If the angel wouldn't cooperate, it would be more than likely a fight would break out. Then, there was the matter of Lucifer, the older demon nothing more than a curious child himself in the human world and in witnessing the daily life of an earl and his butler.

Adding everything up, Ciel knew the next few days would be hell, and there were still questions; the biggest one: where do you start looking for an angel?

The question sat in Ciel's mind as he sipped his morning tea. Of course, his mind grazed over the more practical of places, such as churches. But what were the odds of an angel settling in a church? Knowing how Ash and Angela blended in with society by disguising themselves as lowly servants, much like Sebastian had. But Sebastian was a demon and in a contract, so all of that made sense to Ciel. Ash serving as the queen's butler and Angela serving as a maid to the owner of Houndsworth served no particular purpose. Angels didn't exactly sign contracts, so the angel behind this situation could be anyone and could be anywhere.

And then Ciel remembered something Undertaker had told him the day before when they had been searching for answers…

_"If you do manage to find a cause, however feel free to tell me all about it."_

Undertaker hadn't known anything about their situation, but maybe he knew a thing or two about angels and where to find them.

With this in mind, Ciel set his tea down and raced off to find Sebastian and Lucifer. He didn't go very far. Upon exiting the dining hall, he collided with Lucifer. The earl was instantly knocked back from the force he had been running, but the demon hardly lost his balance.

"In a hurry, are you?" Lucifer asked, tilting his head.

"I was actually looking for you and Sebastian." Ciel explained, "I might know where we can find answers as to where we can look for this angel."

"Alright, but first I think you should take a look at this…"

Lucifer held up his hand. In the grip of his index finger and thumb was a white feather; a feather larger than any Ciel had ever seen before in his life. It was far too long to belong to any bird known to fly around London.

"It belonged to an angel." Lucifer explained, "It's definite proof that one of those beasts caused this to happen."

Ciel took the feather into his own hand. It had a silky feel to it and it seemed to glitter, like winter snow. It was twice as long as his hand and half as wide and it was as light as air.

"Well, a feather doesn't get me far." Ciel pointed out, "But it's better than having nothing. Perhaps Undertaker can use this and help us track this bastard down."

A clever smirk appeared on Lucifer's face, one Ciel had seen Sebastian wear time and time again over the years he had served him. Indeed the servant and his father were alike, yet something differed. And yet, Ciel could put his finger on what that difference was. But that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered now was getting to Undertaker's and gaining whatever information he could about the angels, where to find them, and how to put a stop to all of this.

Lucifer strolled to a nearby window that looked out into the garden. Ciel followed him and looked to where the older demon was gazing.

Sebastian was out in the rose patch again with Finny, practically being swarmed by Blue Morpho and Monarch Butterflies. The child-demon was on his back again, rolling and laughing while Finny joined in. The sight was enough to make Ciel chuckle and Lucifer smiled.

"Such strange behavior." Ciel commented, "I've never seen butterflies swarm a person before."

"Are you certain you wish to change him back, Earl Phantomhive?" Lucifer asked.

Ciel gave him a questioning glance, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't really seem to be complaining about the form you're in, and you seem to enjoy the sight of my son in the garden. Do you really want things to go back to the way they were?"

Ciel sighed, "I don't think I'm necessarily the one who wants things to go back, Lucifer. It's Sebastian's job to protect me and fulfill our contract, and he's found he can do neither as a child. Yes, he is cute in this form and I would prefer it more if he was to stay like this, but Sebastian is miserable like this. He prefers to do things himself, and in this form he's able to do nothing by himself. A mere servant he may be, but I admired the sort of dominance he carried along with his independence, and thus he'd gained a fair amount of respect from myself. And I am his master. I give him orders and he obeys, whether he likes it or not. My position as his master allows him to respect me, as well. But, with this sudden change in rolls; rolls where I'm the one to protect _him_ because _he's_ weak and defenseless, something there is shattered. It makes Sebastian think I have lost my respect for him."

"Have you?" Lucifer asked.

"Just the opposite, really." Ciel replied, "Sebastian is still the dignified butler I've always known him to be. And as a demon he has that urge to fight and intimidate others. I saw that when he tried to defend himself from Grell. He kicked and snarled. He carried as much viciousness as his body could hold. But Grell was stronger, and Sebastian realized he wouldn't be able to escape from him alone: a task that not long ago, he would have been able to carry out without Grell so much as touching him. I want Sebastian to go back to the way he was before, even if it means going back to my small, defenseless, twelve-year-old self."

"You're pretty bright for a twelve-year-old. Did you know that?"

"I am the Queens Watchdog. It is only expected of me."

The two of them stood at the window and watched a while longer as Sebastian continued to be swarmed by the butterflies. The young demon eventually laid himself still and allowed the colorful insects to land and crawl about him and Finny looked on, smiling.

"Butterflies have always taken a particular interest in Michaelis." Lucifer spoke up, "Of course, he found the butterflies of Hell dull, boring, and nothing but a nuisance. But the butterflies of the human world captivated him and he found pleasure and letting the things walk all over him."

"What's the difference between Hell's butterflies and Earth's butterflies?" Ciel asked.

"The butterfly from Hell is all black and just as harmless. But it cannot survive in Earth's cooler temperatures. Just the same, a butterfly from Earth cannot survive in Hell's hot, fiery climate. A Blue Morpho or a Monarch would instantly burst into flames. And a butterfly from Hell is much larger, and its wings carry larger amounts of the colorful powder that decorate them. The powder would sometimes spill and cover Michaelis and he would accidently inhale it."

Ciel understood. A lot more than he thought he would, actually. He was learning more and more about Sebastian and his unusual interest in animals the more time he spent watching him with Lucifer. And then the thought hit him.

"What about cats?"

Lucifer furrowed his brow, "Cats?"

"Sebastian loves the beasts more than anything I've ever known him to love. But I'm allergic, which complicates some things. He lets a black kitten wander the garden and he spoils it every chance he gets."

"Hell has things of feline nature, too. But they look nothing like the cats you're talking about. I suppose Michaelis just prefers the softer, fuzzier things that tread upon this earth."

Ciel turned to him, "You speak of him like you know nothing about him. Yet, you took care of him after your wife was exorcised. You protected him until he was able to protect himself. Surely there things about him you know more about than I do."

Lucifer turned back to him with a fairly neutral expression, though Ciel could easily see fury glinting deep within his eyes.

"And you'd be right, Earl Phantomhive. It's been nearly two, maybe three thousand years since I've last seen him. I'm not sure what exactly I've missed. But… the butterflies, the cats, and now even you. I _don't_ understand it."

"Me?"

"Michaelis it somewhat attached to you. Whether it's a façade or not, I'm not sure. But he's risked life and limb to keep your hide out of danger. I've never heard of him going such lengths for a human."

"That's because our contract stipulates that even at the cost of his own life, he will protect me no matter what. He would never lie to me or leave my side."

Ciel straightened his back, "That is plain."


	18. Chapter 18

I have no good reason as to why it took me so long to update, but i hope something int hese next few chapters makes up for it.

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Chapter 18

Sebastian wasn't hopeful. It didn't matter to him what his father said or what Ciel had said. He knew he couldn't do much of anything as child. Even now, Ciel had more physical power than he did. The only thing Sebastian had was his wits and he knew, even if Undertaker was able to help, that the odds of things returning to the way they were slim; and if it did occur, it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

Ciel, Sebastian, and Lucifer were huddled inside a carriage bound for Undertaker's shop, once more. The three of them were silent, not able to make much of a conversation. The angel's feather was clutched in Sebastian's hand. The mere touch of the feather had an effect on a demon's skin. His palms tangled and sweated slightly; a harmless yet bothersome effect. Sebastian clearly remembered his last encounter with an angel, when Ash had bitterly attacked him and was able to fling a swarm of feathers at him, their pointed tips digging deep into the flesh of his back as he tried to fight the being off and still successfully protect Ciel. The feathers caused searing pain to course though his back and caused him more pain to add on for each feather he pulled out.

It was a memory Sebastian preferred to forget.

Dread seemed to fill him as the carriage pulled to a stop in front of Undertaker's shop; the same ominous gloom surrounding the dreary grey building as it always did. As Ciel and Lucifer exited the carriage, Sebastian wondered whether going would prove to be worth it. After days of his uselessness being proven time and time again, he didn't know if he had room in his conscience for more disappointment.

"Are you coming, Sebastian?" Ciel asked.

No, it wasn't normal for him to be afraid like this; _afraid_, of all things. He had faced worse situations like this and had hardly been moved. He had nearly been killed several occasions, and he hardly cared. He had been battered and bruised and left bleeding, scolded and screamed at and sent away, and he had been thrown into some of the ugliest situations imaginable.

If he couldn't exit this carriage and gain answers to solve this problem, what kind of a butler would he be?

Sebastian nodded and scooted out of the carriage, following Ciel and Lucifer into Undertaker's shop.

Undertaker sat on a coffin, nibbling contently on a dog biscuit. What he found about the small treats so tasty, nobody knew, but Ciel figured it was better than seeing the old man scoot out of a coffin like a vampire.

"Welcome back, Lord Phantomhive." Undertaker said, "I see you haven't resolved your little problem yet."

"We're starting to get somewhere." Ciel stated, "We were hoping you could give us some information on something…"

Ciel took the angel feather from Sebastian and held it up.

"What an interesting thing you've run into, earl." Undertaker said as he devoured the last of the biscuit, "Of course, any further information comes at a price."

Ciel gritted his teeth, "Is now really the time for a joke. We'd prefer to solve this problem as soon as possible."

Undertaker hummed about it for a minute, and his mind was abruptly made up when he realized Lucifer was glaring at him.

"Alright," he said, "I suppose I could let this one go for free."

He took the feather into his hands and looked it over, "This is an angel's feather. Usually these being shed smaller feathers so humans mistake them for bird feathers. To see one this large appear, I can only assume it took this angel a lot to do whatever it is it was trying to accomplish."

"We've verified that it was an angel who caused this to happen to the earl and Michaelis." Lucifer explained, "Now we need to know where exactly we can find the angel who did this."

Undertaker smiled, "It's difficult to identify the angel who did this with just a simple feather. Just like black, white has many different shades and tones. The feathers to one angel are never the exact same shade of white as that of another. Males usually acquire the slightly darker shades of white while the feathers of a female angel usually a crisper, bright white color."

"All that information aside, where can one find an angel?" Ciel asked.

"One simply doesn't find an angel." Undertaker explained, "Keeping this feather with you is probably best. Usually angels don't stray far from their fallen feathers; especially one like this."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_"Usually angels don't stray far from their fallen feathers…"_

That's all Ciel, Sebastian, and Lucifer had to work with as they traveled back to the mansion in the carriage. This meant that, eventually, the angel would come to them. And even if it didn't, it definitely wouldn't leave the area near the Phantomhive manor.

"I still don't understand how we're meant to find this angel." Ciel commented.

"It can't be helped, sir." Sebastian said, even though the words weren't anywhere near reassuring as they normally were. He leaned his head against an upturned palm and gazed out the window. He watched with little interest at the number of people scurrying about to and fro. Children running about stopped, looked and waved at him, as all children did to others that were their age; even if they didn't know them, but Sebastian never waved back.

As the carriage traveled further and drew nearer to the manor, the crowds of people thinned out in the streets. It was nothing new, but somehow the sight filled Sebastian with terrible foreboding. Something was going to happen, but he didn't know what.

Eventually, the carriage turned into the manor's drive and Sebastian sighed.

It was time for tea, the gardens needed weeding, dinner still had to be prepared…

The carriage pulled to a stop and Sebastian could sense Tanaka move to open the door.

The parlor still had to be dusted, the windows had to be cleaned, the bed sheets still had to be brought in…

The carriage door opened and Ciel started out of the carriage, followed by Lucifer.

The schedules for tomorrow have yet to be completed, there was accounting to do, a few rooms still had to be straightened out…

Sebastian was scooting his way towards the door when he heard a loud crash on top of the carriage. He could hear Ciel cry out and his father curse as the top of the carriage was being torn off. He tried to hurry out and Lucifer was prepared to pull him out, when all of a sudden Sebastian felt himself being lifted up from above; a pair of arms securing him to his capturer's body. The beating of wings filled his ears… no gunshots. He could see Mey-Rin and Bardroy aiming guns and firing in his direction. Finnian was about to throw something.

Sebastian wheeled his head around searching for what was carrying him, and his eyes met those of a being with bright, white wings. An angel. She smiled at him and dodged the bullets as she flew away. Sebastian tried to struggle out of her grip, not caring that he was several yards off the ground. But it was no use. With his lack of strength and the angel's massive amounts of strength, he was helpless to do anything as the angel pulled him further and further away.

A shout filled Sebastian's ears before the manor vanished from sight. Ciel was screaming…  
"_Sebastian_!"

* * *

Sorry that chapter was kind of short and kind of vague. I'll have more in the next one.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ciel could feel his chest being to weigh down with helplessness, horror, and dismay. After coming this far in trying to find the angel who did this, after gaining all the information he could to help him get somewhere, the angel slips in at one of their most vulnerable moments and snatches the weakest one of the group. Ciel knew if this blasted spell hadn't been cast, it wouldn't have been Sebastian who'd been snatched. It would have been himself.

And now, it was Ciel's turn to feel helpless as he watched the angel vanish into the distant skies with Sebastian imprisoned in her arms. Without a doubt, it had been Angela Blanc who had kidnapped him. He knew that face. Purple eyes, silver hair, a lovely face, wings as white as freshly fallen snow, but a heart as dark as charcoal; there was no other angel he had seen who looked like Angela Blanc.

Ciel sank to his knees and slammed a fist against the cobblestone surface of the manor's front drive. Now he knew the frustration Sebastian had always felt when he had been kidnapped, and ironically enough it would be he who would now have to go and save his butler. He had no clue how. However, his concerns of that matter were extinguished as Lucifer stooped down and scooped the earl into his arms, lifting him of the ground with ease.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ciel exclaimed.

Before he was given a reply, Ciel realized he and Lucifer were in the air, the beating of wings filling his ears. When he looked, he realized the elder demon had sprouted a pair of gigantic birdlike wings. They were as black as an ebony jewel and spanned eighty times as large as that of a raven, yet they looked merely the same. Lucifer's eyes were a deep red color; deeper than the color he sported in his human form. Thin black slits cut through the center of each eye and each eye burned with Hellfire.

"I can track that wench in the air." He stated, "We'll get Michaelis back and we'll killer her in the process."

Words that greatly suited a demon, but Ciel only imagined them coming out of Sebastian's mouth. It felt no different as he wrapped both arms around Lucifer's neck and commanded him to move faster, and although Lucifer didn't take being commanded by a human as fragile as the earl of Phantomhive, he obeyed, but not out of loyalty as he knew Sebastian would. He followed the earl's demands out of loyalty to his son and the promise he had made to the woman he loved all those centuries ago. And his mind spiraled into the depths of his memory, remembering events that occurred and recalling those he wished to forget…

* * *

It was a black night when it had happened. A dark night where no stars appeared in the skies and no moon shown. Travel was difficult, even for an experienced demon like Lucifer. But he didn't care about the dark, no was he concerned about something even more important than his eyesight. His child and wife had gone missing that day and he had the strongest feeling that something terrible had happened. In desperation, he called out to them, not caring who or what heard him. He could defend himself from anything. He knew that very well.

His search brought him to one of the places his kind dreaded. An old church that stood in a remote town in France. Lucifer strained his ears and called out again, hoping for some sort of reply.

A piercing shriek filled his ears, followed by the cries of a young child; a child who could be no older than four years. Lucifer's blood ran cold; colder than it had ever drew, even in the harshest of winters in Hell or the human world. The powerful demon sprinted through the heavy wooden doors without a thought and quickly found his way to the sanctuary.

The scene in front of him mortified him to his core. His wife lay strapped down to a stone table, writhing in pain at the excessive chants of many priests as they slowly killed the woman. A child was secured in one of the man's arms; forcing the toddler to watch his mother suffer and scream. Tears streamed down the child's face and he tried to squirm free, knowing he'd be next.

"Stop it!" the boy yelled, "Stop that, now! You're hurting her!"

Lucifer cried out the child-demon's name and the boy's head whipped around, "Daddy, help me! Help _us_! They're hurting mom!"

They were the most painful words to ever assault the demon's ears. The sight unfolding in front of him was unbearable. His wife's screams intensified with the pain spreading throughout her body, yet she was wailing for the sake of her son, for not many demons bothered to bear children anymore.

The woman's eyes, with their fading crimson color, stared down her husband and asked only one thing of him.

"Save our child. Take him far away from here and make sure these beasts never find him. Promise me, you'll protect him until he is fit to protect himself… from anything."

As if the order had been given out loud, Lucifer killed the priest who held his son and took the man's arms with him as a trophy. He scooped the child up and carried him off. Michaelis screamed in protest, begging his father to save his mother, too.

Although Lucifer and his son escaped before the priests could exorcise him, they could not escape fast enough to avoid watching the young female demon die on that stone table.

The only thing that filled Lucifer's ears after that was the sound of his son's mournful wailing…

* * *

It was then that Lucifer swore he would not see the same thing happen with his son; the last thing in his life he treasured. He swore in his name and the name of his wife that he would bring Sebastian back alive, and he would slaughter the angel for laying her filthy hands on him.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The time it took to locate where Angela had taken Sebastian took longer than Ciel had hoped. Lucifer had lost sight of the angel when she vanished into a mass of clouds, and she blended in well with them. But the demon could still pick up traces of her scent here and there, and even thought the trail was patchy and scattered he managed to still know where she was heading.

It was place that was all too familiar…

Their search brought them to an old church; one Lucifer had been to before and dreaded seeing it yet again. It was old and unused by now; its stained glass broken in places and boards falling off its sides. But from inside the sanctuary came the soft glow of candle light, making it obvious the church was being used at this current time.

Upon the sight of the building, Ciel and Lucifer feared what they might find inside. Would they be too late and Sebastian would be dead? Would the younger demon be exorcised? Or would Angela try to make him something more than just a demon? Would she do the same thing she had done to Ciel and attempt to purify him? The thought was sickening to them both. Ciel could not imagine Sebastian as anything else but a demon. To think of him human or worse brought vomit to the base of his throat. Lucifer couldn't stand the thought; unsure of what he'd do if that indeed occurred. The thought of having to kill or abandon his son like he would an average human or angel was utterly unthinkable, yet he had no clue on how he could call such beings his son.

Lucifer shook the thoughts out of his head. There was still a chance he could save Sebastian from such a fate. But that's all he could tell himself.

The landing was shaky to Ciel as Lucifer's feet touched the ground in a massive thump. The elder demon released his grip on the earl.

"Is there a plan?" Lucifer asked.

"Kill the angel, get Sebastian, and get the hell out."

"But what about getting you two changed back."  
"To Hell with that plan! That plan was thrown away the moment that beast decided to kidnap my butler. If it means staying like this and keeping Sebastian a kid for a few years more, it's better than seeing him die. I won't let that happen."

Ciel ran through the doors without hesitation, leaving Lucifer outside, alone and dumbfounded. He had never seen such a human like him; someone who was willing to give up anything and everything to have his way, someone who manipulated people like the pieces to a game—a chess game. He had never seen an ordinary human cloaked in so much sin, hate, despair, and darkness still maintain a pure glow in his soul. He could assume this is why his son favored the earl so much, no matter how unreasonable he might get at times.

Even so, he had never seen a human quite like Ciel.

He had never seen a human like a Phantomhive.


	22. Chapter 22

A fair warning to all readers: this chaper contains a lot of Sebastian OOCness (out of characterness) and may contain material disturbing to some readers. Ye be warned!

* * *

Chapter 22

The inside of the church was dark and eerie. Where the glow of candle light Ciel had seen upon arriving at the church had gone was a mystery. It was dark, it was quite, and it was scary; qualities deemed unnatural for a church. But it wasn't the dark that sent a pang of fear to Ciel's chest, it was the silence; bitter and worrisome. He would have felt more satisfied if he heard Sebastian snarling at the angel, or perhaps crying out from being tortured. That, at least, would let him know somebody was here. But the silence gave nothing; no indication that anyone was there with him.

Lucifer walked up beside him, puzzled as to why the earl had stopped short of the sanctuary door.

"Do you fear what you might find inside?" he asked.

Ciel shook his head, "Are you certain that they're even here?"

Lucifer nodded, "I've never been more sure. Michaelis is just beyond that door… and so is Angela and…"

The elder demon's eyes widened suddenly just as an ear-piercing shriek cut clear through the door. The shriek was pained, it was agonizing, and it came from only one person Ciel could think of.

He burst through the door without a thought. The sight that greeted him sent chills racing down his limbs.

Sebastian was tied down to a stone table; his binds so tight he couldn't move a muscle. He attempted to thrash, but failed as he couldn't move. Four priests hovered over him, chanting infernal holy words that made the child-demon writhe in pain. The closer Ciel looked, the more he saw just exactly what was happening. The chanting from the priests seemed to cause pressure to apply to various point on Sebastian's body; namely his throat, chest, and stomach.

_So this is what happens when a demon is exorcised…_ Ciel found himself thinking. It was a horrible sight that angered him to the core, and there was no mercy in his gaze as he drew his pistol and shot each of the priests dead; putting a bullet into the head of the first, the chest of the second, the throat of the third, and the temple of the fourth.

A relieved sigh left Sebastian as the pressure was released from his body, but damage was still being caused to his body. Random splashes of holy water boiled along the surface of the demon's skin, and there seemed to be something else there causing him pain. Ciel searched desperately for it but could not find it.

"You won't be able to save him." a soft voice hummed from a dark corner. Ciel's mouth drew into an inhuman snarl as he identified its owner: a white-winged woman who sat atop a large crucifix that stood against the far wall.

"He's ingested holy water." She continued, "The death he's suffering is the slowest and most brutal his kind can suffer."

"And you call yourself a true angel!" Ciel hissed, "What angel would inflict such suffering on another being?"

Angela only smirked and gave a shrug, "And what will you do, earl Phantomhive? Your bullets won't have any effect on me."

"His bullets might not affect you." A new voice said, "But what about me?"

The angel whipped her head around to face Lucifer. Her smug demeanor fell into fear as the elder demon flew towards her at blinding speeds and gripped onto her. Black clawed hands covered in raven-like feathers dug into her flesh, earning a blood-curdling scream from the other being. Blood spilled from where the demon's fingers had pierced the skin.

Lucifer drew his attention away from Angela momentarily to focus on Ciel.

"Save my son." He ordered, "I've got her."

Ciel nodded and didn't look back as he threw himself beside Sebastian.

The child demon was squirming; the pain from the holy water inside his body becoming too much for him to bear.

"Don't worry, Sebastian." Ciel told him as he began to cut away at the binds, "I'll help you. You're going to be okay."

A pained whimper escaped Sebastian's lips, "It hurts, master…"

"I know, just hang in there!"

The binds wear thick and they were leather. The shard of stained glass Ciel was using to cut at them wouldn't be enough to free Sebastian in time, and he knew it. Looking around franticly, he caught a glimpse of a dagger one of the fallen priests had sheathed and hidden away in his robes. Whether he meant to use this to finish Sebastian off or if it would have been part of the sick ritual, Ciel didn't know nor did he care. If it meant he'd free Sebastian quicker, it didn't matter what was available nor where it came from.

With the dagger in hand, Ciel cut away at the leather binds and tore them off of Sebastian's pain-wracked body. A raspy cough caught his attention and horror crossed his face as he looked at Sebastian's and saw a mass of blood gush from his mouth. The stone table beneath him turned a grizzly maroon in color with the blood and the access dribbled onto the tile floor below.

"Lucifer!" Ciel called, "What do I need to do?"

The elder demon had mangled Angela's form, but had not quite killed her. her tattering wings flapped in a weak and pathetic attempt to escape; to no avail.

"You need to get him to expel the water." He called, "Make him vomit!"

Ciel nodded and worked quickly to pin Sebastian's limbs down. He figured he should have left the leather that bound his hands on to avoid this, as Sebastian had begun clawing at his chest and stomach to dispose of the drink himself, when in actuality he was only causing more harm to himself than good.

Ciel wondered briefly how he was going to make him vomit. Did demons even have a gag reflex? He only knew one way to force a person to vomit and it was disgusting and unpleasant.

And it was the only thing that would save Sebastian.

"Sebastian, open your mouth!" Ciel ordered.

Sebastian shook his head aggressively and struggled harder. Angela had commanded him to do the same thing when she forced the holy water down his throat, and although he figured it wasn't what Ciel was going to do he didn't want his inexperienced master to make matters worse than they already were.

With Sebastian's refusal to obey his commands, Ciel was forced to pry the demon's mouth open. Sebastian's eyes pleaded, and Ciel could feel the hurt spread through his chest. But it was the only way.

Quickly, Ciel thrust his fingers into Sebastian's mouth, hitting his uvula hard. The demon's back arched beneath him and Sebastian relieved a heavy gag. A gush of blood-stained holy water was expelled from Sebastian's gut and spewed out of his mouth, the sight causing Ciel to nearly vomit himself.

Sebastian threw up the liquid until there was nothing left. He gasped and heaved for air, and then his eyes rolled back and he went limp.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Sebastian?"

The panicked question didn't cause a stir the small, lifeless shape Ciel now cradled in his arms. Even after nudging and shaking him several times, Sebastian didn't open his eyes. Ciel searched frantically for a pulse and he felt his body go numb when he couldn't find one.

"Lucifer!" he screamed, "It's Sebastian, something's wrong!"

Angela now laid dead in Lucifer's arms; her breathing and pulse having stopped long ago. The elder demon dropped the bloodied body onto the church's floor and rushed beside Ciel. Much like he had done, he checked for a pulse, but his senses were sharper and could pick up more than Ciel's senses could. Humans could never detect a demons pulse, as it was too fast and too faint for their less acute senses to detect.

Lucifer's fingers felt his sons pulse slam against his fingers. It was faster than usual, but after this whole ordeal, he could have expected that.

"He's weak, but he's still alive." He said.

Ciel shook his head, clearly not understanding, but as he looked closer he could see Sebastian's chest raise and fall as he took shallow breaths. A relieved sigh escaped Ciel's mouth and he held Sebastian close. He had no idea what he would have done if he'd lost his butler; his best friend.

"I don't care if we have to stay this way forever." He said, "So long as he's safe and I'm alive I don't much care anymore."

Lucifer smiled, "Your mind is made up then?"

Ciel nodded, "I don't care if I'm stuck as a twenty year old and keep aging. So long as I have Sebastian, nothing else matters to me."

"Even if he is just a child who is incapable of protecting you as your contract stipulates?"

"I have three other servants who are able to protect me, and Tanaka has surprised me from time to time. I can live with Sebastian being the smaller, weaker one for a while, yet." Ciel lifted Sebastian up and carried him, the child-demon's head resting against the earl's shoulder as a pillow, "Let's go home."

Lucifer nodded and scooped him and Sebastian up in his arms and flew back to the Phantomhive manor. Sebastian still hadn't regained consciousness by the time they had reached the manor, and naturally all four servants were waiting for their return.

"Master Ciel!" Finnian exclaimed as he ran up to them. He stopped short as he caught sight of the blood that still remained on Sebastian's shirt, "What happened?"

"It's alright, Finny." Ciel stated, "Sebastian's fine; just exhausted, is all."

"But…"

"Mey-Rin, would you please take Sebastian to his room and clean him up? At least change his shirt so he's not soaked in his own blood."

A bright pink blush appeared on the maid's face as Sebastian's sleeping form was placed in her arms, "Um, alright."

"Oi! We'd kind of like to know what happened!" Bardroy spoke up, "Why is Mr. Sebastian covered in blood? What the bloody hell happened?"

The chef nearly regretted asking after Ciel gave him the thorough explanation. However, some details were cut out. The earl still kept Sebastian's true nature hidden; explaining that although Sebastian had indeed experienced an exorcism, the reason for the blood was due to a brutal beating that caused him to cough it up.

"In any event," Ciel continued, "It seems Sebastian and I will remain this way. So stop with the crap!"

A confused look crossed Bard's face, "What do you mean, sir?"

"I know you've been giving Sebastian a hard time just because he's a child now. He's my butler, not a child. So don't treat him like one." A smirk crossed his face, "Only I can treat him like that."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Mey-Rin hadn't noticed many external wounds upon changing Sebastian's clothes; nothing but bruises that indicated that he had been bound up by something. However, that didn't change the fact that his once clean, crisp, white dress shirt Nina had tailor for him was now drenched him his own blood. Of course, she'd removed blood stains from the butler's clothes before, but the amount that had been spilled on this shirt frightened her. How was it that Sebastian was even still alive?

The maid pushed that thought out of her head as she pulled another clean, white dress shirt from Sebastian's wardrobe. But this was one of his larger ones; the dress shirts he'd wear before this situation occurred. It would be much too large for him. But it was already late; long past dinnertime and the sun had set a long time ago.

At the least, Sebastian could use this as a nightshirt.

Quickly and quietly, Mey-Rin slipped the garment on Sebastian's sleeping form. It was like changing the clothes of a ragdoll; the butler's limbs were limp and slid into the over-sized sleeves with ease.

After fitting the shirt on him, Mey-Rin tucked Sebastian into his bed and left him to rest. When she stepped out of his room, she realized Ciel had been standing there the whole time.

"I'm sorry, sir." She piped, realizing she had almost collided with the earl.

"Never mind it." Ciel said, lifting a hand to stop a stuttering explanation to come babbling from the maid's mouth.

Mey-Rin nodded and looked back over to Sebastian, "Are you sure he's alright?"

"Yeah, that angel just roughed him up a bit, is all. Just clean up that shirt before the blood dries and it becomes harder to remove."

"Yes, sir."

The maid picked up the shirt and trotted off to clean it as she had been told, while Ciel entered his butler's room and sat down in a chair beside him.

"For once, it was you who needed saving." He said, "Now I know how you felt whenever I got my arse kidnapped. What a bother…"

A hand strayed from Ciel's side and stoked the top of Sebastian's head. His skin was soft and warm and his hair felt downy; like the feathers that filled his pillows.

A smile appeared on Ciel's face as he stood and made his way towards the door.

"Good-night, Sebastian."

Ciel went to bed that night later than usual. He hadn't had supper, or tea, or dessert; not even a cup of warm milk flavored with honey. This whole day had exhausted him, and he no longer cared about sweets or tea. What really mattered to him now was putting this day behind him and waiting for Sebastian to get better.

He dressed himself him his night clothes and set his eye patch aside and it wasn't long after he was buried under the covers that he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Young master, it is time for you to wake up."

It was the same greeting that woke Ciel up every morning. But here was something about this particular occasion that just didn't seem natural.

Ciel hadn't even opened his eyes, even after the curtains were pulled open and the blinding sun flew into his face. He was still trying to identify the voice that was in the room with him. It was low and dark. It wasn't Lucifer. It wasn't Tanaka or Bardroy. And Sebastian's voice was…

Ciel opened his eyes. To his astonishment, it _was_ Sebastian who was in the room. He wasn't the ten year old he remembered watching as he slept last night. No, Sebastian, as it was considered, was back to normal. Older, taller, and he was carrying that clever smirk on his face.

"Come on now, Young Master." He chuckled, "You have a very busy day today."

Ciel shot up in bed and looked at himself. the bed had gotten bigger… no, he had gotten smaller. He grabbed his ring from the dresser beside him and slid it onto his ring finger, only to find it didn't fit like it had the day before. It was far too big for that finger. Carefully, Ciel slid it onto his thumb, and it fit just like it had had before. He picked up his eye patch and carefully tied it to his face, and he found himself with more sting than he had yesterday.

The earl was puzzled. It was as if everything that had happened yesterday and all the days before, where he was the older one and Sebastian was the smaller, weaker one, had never happened in the first place.

"Is something the matter, master?" Sebastian asked.

"It's strange…" Ciel said. Even his voice had gone back to the way it had sounded just a week ago, "That had to be the strangest dream I've ever had."

Sebastian chuckled, "I'm afraid what happened yesterday, the day before, and the day before that had been no dream. Things are as they should be, now. Now, let's get you dressed. I've made scones to go along with your breakfast."

Ciel shook his head, "How could have things gone back? I thought Lucifer said it was only the angel who could turn us back."

"Indeed, sir, and Angela's dead. A spell is a tricky thing. If the caster is killed and the spell is still in effect, then everything and everyone the spell affected goes back to the way it was."

Nodding, Ciel allowed himself to get dressed and he drank his morning tea.

"Where is Lucifer, anyway?" he asked.

"My father has returned back to Hell." Sebastian explained, "It seemed once he knew we'd gone back to normal he was sure his services were no longer needed."

"And what about the others? Do they know about this?"

"Yes, and it came to quite a shock to them; Bardroy, most of all."

Ciel couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, and he thought of how much better things were going to get. Sure, he was bound to be kidnapped more often and Sebastian would be the one to save him, but he didn't care about that now because Sebastian could protect him and protect himself.

"What's on my schedule today?" he asked.

"At ten you have a meeting, and a noon Lady Elizabeth plans on visiting, and at two, I planned on continuing your dance lessons…"

Meetings, dance lessons, and his fiancée coming over to visit; it was as if life around the Phantomhive manor had gone completely back to normal.

* * *

Ciel sat in his study alone. It wouldn't be long before he had to go to the meeting, but he decided he wanted some peace to himself for a while more. It wasn't that, necessarily as he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the photograph he had taken with Talbot's camera.

In the picture Sebastian laid in bed in his ten year old form, sound asleep with his mother and father lying along beside him. The picture still made Ciel smile, and it was surviving proof of what had happened to him and his butler. They had switched places. Now the both of them knew what it was like to be in each other's shoes, and Ciel had learned things about his butler that he hadn't known or bothered to know before.

His attention was drawn away from the picture by the sound of laughter; Sebastian's laugher.

The earl wheeled around in his chair and scooted himself to see what was happening. As usual, the butler was in the garden, in the rose patch. He lay sprawled on his back, once again being swarmed by Blue Morpho Butterflies. Sebastian didn't bother rolling or try fighting off the shimmering blue swarm and Ciel watched as butterfly after butterfly settled on Sebastian's body, opening and shutting their wings in a steady pattern:

Open and closed, open and closed; blue to brown, blue to brown.


End file.
